Operation Crossdress
by pyr0technic
Summary: AU. Ikarishipping. At the time, it seemed to make a lot of sense for Dawn to crossdress as a male rock star and to live with the other also very male band members. But problems arise: awkward shower moments, accidental second base, tasers - well, the list goes on.
1. Chapter 1: Three Angels

**A/N: **Some things I will inform you of before we begin the story:

1) The plot of this story is fully inspired by the Korean drama 'You're Beautiful.' Credit does obviously not go to me but the lovely Hong Sisters.

2) It isn't going to be exactly the same or totally different. The happenings will be more or less the same, but the way the happen will be different. Basically, you don't have to watch the drama to enjoy this.

3) The song used is 'Boats and Birds' by Gregory and the Hawk, not mine!

4) Gary's personality will be as what is portrayed in the later seasons - much more mature and a little sweet. (We all know he was a lady-charmer since the beginning, anyway... ahemcheerleadersahem.) Similarly, Dawn will be portrayed as innocent (as in, she's easily intimidated and doesn't know about the ahemshady things, but it won't interfere with her other character traits that much.)

5) Hats off to the lovely Kissy Fishy - my beta for this story! She did a fantastic job and I can't thank her enough!

Let's begin, then! I hope you enjoy the first chapter.

* * *

**Operation Crossdress  
.x.  
**_Chapter One: Three Angels_

* * *

_Bzzt-bzzt._

Dawn's eye twitched at the sound, but she remained perfectly still.

_Bzzt-bzzt._

Unwillingly, she opened one eye and scanned the room for the annoyance.

_Bzzt-bzzt._

Her probing eye finally stopped at the source, which was a small pink cell phone, currently being used by a short brunette girl in the seat across from her.

Dawn opened her other eye and her face turned into a frown. Using a cell phone at church during prayers was blasphemous. She would _not_ let this get by, not on her watch. (This would not get by, not on her watch)

Determinedly, Dawn inched forward carefully and quietly. Once she was close enough, she discreetly tapped the brunette's shoulder.

The girl ignored her.

_Bzzt-bzzt._

"Please turn that off," Dawn finally whispered in her ear.

The girl turned around and gave Dawn a look before smirking and returning to her cell phone. "Make me," she said.

Dawn felt her temper flare. "You are being disrespectful," she chastised, trying to keep her voice steady.

Again, the girl ignored her and tapped away at the screen, as if _daring_ her to try something.

"You asked for it," Dawn muttered crossly, a dangerous gleam in her eyes.

Trying to be inconspicuous – Dawn snatched the mobile device from the girl's hands. However, before she could take pride in the fact she did it without attracting attention , it slipped from her hands to the floor, making a loud clattering noise.

And suddenly, all eyes were on _her_.

"Sorry! Please continue, I just… dropped something…" Dawn managed a sheepish smile before ducking underneath in humiliation to retrieve the phone.

Unfortunately for her, it wouldn't be that easy. Right as her hand reached for it, the older man next to her kicked it further away unknowingly. As if that wasn't bad enough, it begin to ring –

_My milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard, damn right, they're better than yours –_

Dawn winced and brought a hand to her forehead, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her in. It was all over.

Glancing across, she was met with a stern look from her teacher, and immediately understanding, Dawn clumsily fumbled her way out of the crowd, pretending not to hear all the insults and disapproving glares being thrown at her by the elders.

_That's it, I'm becoming Atheist_, Dawn fumed as she stalked out of the doors, slamming them shut.

&.

Ash was _dead_.

This thought repeated itself in the boy's head, each time with more horror.

His phone rang again, and keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he pulled the device out of his pocket only to find that the caller was – predictably, his co-worker, Misty Waterflower. The contact photo of her was nice enough, because she was smiling – but it was all an illusion, Ash knew.

Misty was _terrifying_ when she was mad, and knowing that fact, Ash gulped and stowed the phone away once again. Misty was _not_ happy the first time she called, why would she be the fifteenth time!?

Ash pressed his foot down harder on the gas and sped up, trying to relieve his frustration via the car.

_I need to calm down_, he thought in exasperation, massaging a temple as he looked out of the window. The view was nice; it was a homely town with small parlors, restaurants, and vendors filling the streets. It reminded him of his own childhood, which was completely different to his life now.

He lived in the bustling city of Eterna, with his exhausting job as manager for _the_ hottest, most famous boy band, Archangels.

This brings us to the reason for his current state of disarray – he had kind of lost one of the band members.

But it wasn't as bad it seemed! …Except, it was. The boy was supposed to be introduced publicly as the new member of Archangels in less than a week, but instead he was currently halfway across the world getting failed plastic surgery fixed.

_Man, even the real reason doesn't sound believable…_

He sighed and made a sharp turn to avoid an oncoming truck, ignoring the angry complaints of the fellow pedestrians surrounding him.

_Screw pedestrians, this is the company car! So much as a scratch – and Misty will kill me before President Hayden does._

He never understood why his redheaded co-worker was always so fussy over him – but now wasn't the time to wonder, he realized. He had to find a solution to this problem, and he had to _fast._

Even with the Misty issue aside, the situation was still bad. The Archangels' band leader was rather notorious for being cold, calculated and just plain difficult. It didn't cause the _fangirls_ to love him any less – but Ash sure did find it hard to work with the guy.

If the news that the band member would be arriving a month late _ever_ reached that guy's ears – Ash was sure the new band member's chance would be gone for good.

_I hate my life…_

He stopped the car when he reached a church in the clearing, hoping for some fresh air and inspiration to strike him to help him out of this crisis. He could almost _hear_ Misty roaring in his head – "Stop wasting time and _do_something, idiot!

Wincing at his own restless imagination, Ash exited the car and went to go sit on the outside bench; looking up to the sky and hoping more than anything just to find some answers.

"I just don't think I'm cut out for this…"

Ash's ears perked up as he caught on to a conversation between a young girl and nun outside of the church.

_I shouldn't be eavesdropping but_… Ash was desperate enough, wanting to focus on something else to calm himself.

"It is okay, dear." The superior only smiled warmly and patted the girl's shoulders, but it didn't seem to comfort the teen.

"It isn't… Mother… I am not good enough for this, and I just… I don't think I belong here." The other girl burst out, then suddenly retreating with widening eyes as if she couldn't believe she had said it.

"You don't have to call me Mother, Dawn."

"But… you raised me." Dawn glanced up to Mother Superior with now tear-filled eyes.

"You will find what you are looking for, I promise." With a smile that suggested she knew all – what has happened, what was happening, what was going to happen – she walked back inside after a tender squeeze to the other girl's shoulder.

Dawn stomped her foot in frustration. "I don't even deserve her kindness… she's done so much for me and I… I…" she trailed off.

Ash kept a close eye on her as she produced a key from her pocket and unlocked her motorbike seat, opening it up to reveal a compartment. She rummaged through, found a hoodie, threw it on and turned to her bench – only to find some strange raven-haired boy sitting on it.

_Oh well…_ Dawn pulled the hoodie up and sat next to the boy at the edge of the bench, cautiously taking up as little room as possible.

"Bad day, huh?" Ash asked, searching for an icebreaker. He offered her a lighthearted grin, but the other girl didn't look.

"You could say that…" Dawn just ducked her head down, eyes downcast. She was obviously upset, and Ash, being softhearted, wished to cheer up the girl at least a bit.

"It happens to the best of us, Miss…?" Ash paused, searching for a name.

"Berlitz," the girl responded. Then she brought a hand to her mouth in regret. _Yeah, go ahead, just blurt out all your personal life details to strangers you just met…!_

"Ah, I see." Ash smiled out of politeness, but then something else seemed to hit him as the smile froze in place. _Wait… __**Berlitz**__? It can't be!_

Ash, startled and not thinking of his actions, grabbed the girl's shoulders and whirled them around. Taking her shock as an advantage, he pulled off the hood to reveal her face, and was met with something that stunned him beyond belief.

_That's him! That's… they have the same exact face! Are they twins?_

Dawn's senses seemed to finally kick in as she threw the other boy's arms off. "Hey! Watch it, mister!" Dawn delivered a kick to his shin and stood up.

"No, wait! I-I'm sorry, it's just that I think I know your twin!" Ash exclaimed, scrambling to stand up and clutch his paining leg simultaneously.

Dawn's furious expression froze into place and slowly dissipated. "You know where Sylvia is?"

_Wait… what? _Ash, now confused, responded with, "Who is that? I'm talking about Dan!"

Dawn gave him a clueless look, so Ash sighed and rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a photo. "_This_ is Dan Berlitz."

_He looks like me… but I don't know him!_ "I have no idea who that is!" Dawn insisted, voice now panicky.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Ash looked from the photo to her. "You two even have the same last name!"

It took Dawn a couple of moments to process this new information – but it was so unbelievable it only made her angry. "Just leave me alone. Stop – stop confusing me with your lies!"

Dawn begin making her way to her bike, wiping away angry tears. That boy had almost made her think Sylvia was still alive – only to crush that hope within his fingers by showing her some other boy!

Ash ran after her, photograph in hand and anger written across his own face. "Well, running away from this isn't going to make it a lie!"

Dawn winced but ignored him, determinedly swinging a leg over her motorbike and jamming her keys in. She _would_ not listen to this, and she would _not_ –

"He was doing this for his _mother_!"

Dawn went completely still.

Ash took this time to walk in front of her, blocking her path. "He just wanted to find his mother again! You are his only hope, you can't walk away now!"

The words were painful and a dull ache begin coming from her heart – a pain she thought she had gotten rid of a long time ago. Was it really possible? Were she and Dan searching for the same thing?

Dawn got off the bike and faced him with an emotionless face, then softly asked, "What was her name?"

Ash, surprised, only mumbled, "I'm not sure, but I have it written down somewhere… I'll tell you if you just let me borrow you for the day, alright?"

Dawn sighed, finally admitting defeat. "What exactly do you need me for?"

Ash just grinned.

&.

"Ash, I'm actually kind of impressed."

"Really, Mist!?"

"_No_, you dunce! This is a _girl_!"

Misty brought her mallet out and began bashing her co-worker on the head in fury.

Dawn stood meekly by, not sure what to do. "Um, but… I agreed to dress as a boy for today…"

Misty stopped the bashing and looked to her. "But you're so… _girly_."

Ash pouted, "But, Mist! You're the best stylist ever! I'm sure you could make her look like Dan, their faces are already practically the same!"

"You have a point…" Misty stopped the bashing, mollified by Ash's comment. Pushing the boy aside, she took to surveying Dawn. "You have a slim figure… your legs aren't too girlish…" Misty continued examining her like a model, walking in circles around the girl.

Ash had driven the blue-haired girl to the Pewter Agency Offices and called out to Misty to help prepare for Dawn's final transformation, and Dawn couldn't help but whimper inwardly at what she had gotten herself into.

"I think you're making her a little uncomfortable," Ash snickered as he took notice of Dawn's pink face from being looked at so closely.

"Ash, you existing makes me uncomfortable."

"Well, geez."

Dawn held back a giggle at the duo's married couple-like antics, if only out of fear of what Misty would do. "Do I fit the bill?" she asked jokingly.

In all seriousness, Misty replied, "Yep! You have small boobs too, which seals the deal!"

"Excuse me!?" Dawn shrieked, arms flying up to cover her torso.

Ash sheepishly smirked and pulled Misty aside to shield her from Dawn's oncoming wrath. "Sorry, she's a little blunt, you'll have to excuse her…"

Dawn, still offended, just crossed her arms and gave him a look. "I hope you'll keep your girlfriend under better control in the future."

This comment, as predicted, threw the redheaded fire queen off, as she yelled, "I am _not_ his girlfriend! Heaven knows why everyone keeps assuming that…"

_Indeed, as do I_, Dawn thought with a small smile.

Misty shrugged it off and grabbed Dawn's arm, walking her away from the car and into a dressing room beside the famous Pewter Agency Offices.

"Put these clothes on, and wipe off any make-up you have," Misty ordered, pushing the blue-haired girl into a stall.

Ash waited from outside, glancing at his watch, slightly nervous. Was it such a good idea to hand off innocent, naïve Dawn to Misty from the get-go? He had hoped their personalities would clash well… two girls fighting was the _last_ thing he needed at this moment.

Back inside, Misty impatiently waited outside of the door for the other girl. "Ready, yet?"

"Yeah, almost… sorry, I'm just so not used to wearing anything Mother hasn't gotten me…"

Misty was about to scoff, but then she remembered what Ash had told her. _She grew up without parents at a church… she was practically raised in innocence._ Her look softened and she resolved to treat the girl with a little more kindness.

Finally, Dawn walked out, fully decked out in typical boy-band wear. Dark, frayed and faded jeans, a wife beater with a brown leather jacket on top, topped off by the newsboy-esque cap on her head.

"Now for the most important step." Misty led her to the front mirror in the room; in the process tightening her binder to make sure her front looked completely flat.

Dawn's reflection was almost completely foreign to her – she had never worn these types of clothes before, and having them on her now made her look like a completely different person. Her eyes were wide and blue andher skin was soft and pale – two of her most feminine features, something that would be a challenge to hide.

"This will complete the final transformation. Are you ready?" Misty asked, making eye contact with Dawn in the mirror.

Dawn gave her a questioning look. In response, Misty reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of scissors. "The only thing that's standing out his your hair."

"Oh… alright." Dawn shrugged and pulled the cap off, allowing her long, blue locks to fall free to her shoulders.

Misty's eyes widened at the sight. "Your hair is so beautiful, I feel bad cutting it…"

Dawn smiled, although you could see the bit of sorrow hiding behind it. "Hair grows back, Misty."

The redhead chuckled and brought the scissors to her hair, and soon enough, there was a ring circling Dawn's feet of discarded blue locks. It felt a bit sad to look at, but Dawn only shrugged and forced herself to be positive. _I've always wanted to see how short hair would look, anyway._

Dawn glanced up, and nearly jumped back at the sight. _Oh my god…!_

"You look like a boy," Misty said, snickering at Dawn's flabbergasted reaction.

But Dawn had realized Misty, true to her word, had done fantastic with her job. She had somehow made Dawn's girlish eyes and skin mold into her new haircut – making her look more like a charming, cute boy than an awkwardly girlish guy.

"Come on, you guys are taking forever!" Ash called from outside, again glancing at his watch. They had a meeting right now with the president to sign the contract papers, and he didn't want to mess up after he had gotten this far.

The girls both giggled and Misty brought Dawn out of the rooms, presenting her to Ash with a flourish. "_Voila!_ How did I do?"

Ash was nearly speechless. "I knew you were _good_, Misty… but I didn't know you were _damn good_!" He laughed and brought the redhead in for a hug and patted her on the back.

Misty flushed at the contact but returned the gesture with a satisfied smirk, ignoring Dawn's not-so-innocent chuckling in the background. _I feel like I'm interrupting_, Dawn mouthed.

_Pushing it_, Misty growled back angrily in response.

Dawn just sighed, taking another glance at the huge, several-storey building of the famous Pewter Agency Offices. It was a dream and a nightmare all at once.

_Well, here goes everything…_

&.

Ash and Dawn stood in front of the president's office, both rather nervous because of the entire situation.

"Just… just say as little as possible, and all will be fine." Ash swallowed, trying to present a calm façade to Dawn, who currently seemed as if she was about to wet herself.

"Thanks for the advice," Dawn said, shakily reaching out to knock the door.

"Ah, yes, we've been waiting for you, Dan Berlitz! Ash, bring him in!"

Ash took a deep breath and pulled the door open, revealing an older man with spiky black hair and a prim and proper suit at the head desk.

Dawn walked in cautiously, taking in the rich, extravagant surroundings. Ash discreetly nudged her, indicating her to direct her focus towards the president. "Go on! Say hi!"

She swallowed and walked forward, stopping in front of the man and respectfully bowing. "Thank you for choosing me, sir, I will be sure to do my best."

The man just smiled and gave a hearty laugh. "No need to be so formal! I am President Pewter, owner of the Pewter Agency – but I guess you knew that – but you can call me Brock."

He held out a hand, and with a little more reassurance, Dawn took it and felt him shake it twice firmly. "Bit of a soft hand you got there, huh?" Brock teased.

Dawn froze in fear out of the implication, but luckily Ash came to her rescue.

"And, Dan! Meet the co-president, Drew Hayden!" Ash gestured to the chartreuse-haired boy beside Brock, who gave her a playful smirk and shook her hand.

"It's a pleasure," he said suavely.

Dawn had to fight off an embarrassed blush – she was a guy, she couldn't have people thinking she was, well, gay – and just smiled politely in return.

"And I'm his assistant!" chimed in another voice. A brunette girl clad in a striking red bandana stepped forward and offered her a friendly grin. "Miss Maple, but please call me May!"

"Nice to meet you, May." Dawn, relieved to be in the presence of a fellow female, took her hand and shook it gladly.

May looked taken aback, but smiled. "Quite charming, aren't you?"

_Whoops… I guess I was being too friendly for a guy. _Dawn smiled sheepishly and let go, and noticed with curiosity that Drew was discreetly aiming an unfriendly glare her way.

Brock explained some basic rules and regulations and gave an overall summarization of the contract, and then presented it to her with a wide grin on his face. "Well! All you have to do is sign it."

Dawn suddenly became nervous again with all of the eyes on her. What if they found out? Oh god, if they did, she was so _dead_ – who knows how infamous she would become? She could see the headlines – girl poses as rock star and signs contract, _life sentence!_

She swallowed and willed her hand to stop shaking, and reached for the pen.

To the side, May whispered, "He's pretty hot, isn't he?"

Drew rolled his eyes, trying to hide his annoyance and desperately failing. "If by _hot_ you mean _girly_, sure."

"You're just jealous." May stuck her tongue out.

Finally, she brought her shaking hand and carefully wrote out the signature, _Dan Berlitz._

_My first illegal act_, she thought with a lump in her throat.

Ash heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, it was all over – but he had thought too soon.

The door the office slammed open, and _he _walked in.

Dawn, scared out of her wits by the noise, slowly looked up to the figure which was coming closer and closer – and nearly felt herself melt.

There, she saw an _angel_.

Eyes narrow and black – but deep, with hidden stories, Dawn could tell—skin tanned to a shade of perfect golden, perfectly groomed locks of plum. Everything was perfect, even the sneer etched into his face – because he was absolutely beautiful.

"…do you?"

"Huh?"

Dawn stared at the boy before her with a blank look. Only then had it occurred to her that he must've been _talking_ to her, while she had, er, been a little too immersed in her own fantasy.

"Okay?" she tried, hoping it would satisfy the glare on his face.

He shook his head, glare deepening. "I asked you if you thought you were good enough for our band."

Dawn shook her head a few times and gathered herself. "Um, yes, I… President Pewter chose me based on my audition tape, so I –"

"I don't _care_ about your stupid audition tape," the boy growled, and immediately he took hold of her arm and dragged her off.

"Stupid Paul…" Ash groaned, giving a helpless look to the now utterly terrified Dawn, being whisked away by the ice king known as Paul.

"Go catch them, _Manager Ketchum_," Drew drawled sarcastically, then laughing at his own pun. May kicked him in the shin.

"Thank you," said Ash as he and Brock stormed after the duo.

Elsewhere, Paul had brought Dawn to the recording room, roughly shoved her inside, where the two other band members resided.

She barely had time to take in the surroundings of the foreign room where there were instruments lining the walls and microphones and buttons and lights and things she couldn't even name. It excited her, but she didn't have time to dwell on that much longer.

"Prove yourself." Paul stood in front of her menacingly, arms crossed with his ever-persistent glare fixed on her.

From outside, Brock called in, "Paul, there's no need for this! I already heard him, he's a good singer! He can hit the higher notes – which is exactly what you need, considering your _condition_!"

Paul's grimace darkened at that, but he ignored all protests from outside and kept his gaze steady on her. "I don't care _how_ good you are. You better be good enough for me, or you can kiss the contract goodbye."

Dawn simply stood there, frozen with fear. How could this angel be so menacing?

She then felt a hand on her shoulder, and she flinched as she turned to another male, who was smiling endearingly at her. "Don't worry about him. If you're as good as they say, you'll do fine, Dan."

Dawn just kept staring. _Another angel_… the boy had kind brown eyes, a head full of spiky, messy brown hair and a smile that was positively to _die_ for.

"Come on, Dan!"

Dawn turned to the other boy, melting again at the sight of such an angelic face. Beautiful blonde hair styled into gentle curls, peculiarly bright orange eyes, and the cutest lopsided grin she had ever seen. "I…um…"

The blonde just smiled. "Come on, your old mates are cheering you on here! Okay, Paul's a butt, but there's me and Gary!"

Gary turned to the blonde and just rolled his eyes. "Shut up for a moment and let the guy _sing_, Barry."

Barry rose up his hands in defense. "Alright, mate."

Finally, they all went silent for the anticipated moment. Paul's hardened, malicious gaze, Gary's soft, kind one, and Barry's lighthearted, friendly one.

She couldn't bring herself to open her mouth.

"I knew it," Paul snapped, eyebrows furrowing together in a frown. "We don't need you." He took the contract out, his fingers poised on destroying it – and suddenly, Sylvia flashed before Dawn's eyes.

Sylvia, her sister. She had never known her – but had heard countless stories, seen several visions. She had left to find _Mother_ – could she really be Dan?

And then, the words flew out of her mouth. "_If you be my star, I'll be your sky_."

Paul froze in place.

She continued, "_You can hide underneath me and come out at night…"_

Paul slowly lowered the paper, glare still in place but eyes directed elsewhere as he focused on her _voice_, which reminded him of brown sugar and honey and happier times.

"_When I turn jet black, and you show off your light, I live to let you shine_…" Dawn felt herself sinking into the melody, a feeling of pleasure and contentedness flowing over her.

Barry had a completely awestricken look upon his face as he gazed at the girl with wide eyes. Her positively angelic voice was giving _him_ goosebumps. She was the perfect fourth member, she was _exactly_ what they needed, a soft, high undertone to highlight their own deep voices.

Gary simply smiled, staring at her with newfound interest. _I have a feeling this guy is going to make things interesting._

She finished the rest of the verse off softly and very slowly, "_I live… to let… you shine."_

"Cripes, Dan! That was fantastic!" Barry cheered, bounding up to pat the nervous singer on the back. Dawn was shaken from her momentary glory and she reverted back into nervousness because of the proximity to Barry.

"Good job, Dan," Gary added with a trademark smirk that Dawn had to fight a blush over.

_These guys are going to be the death of me…_

Paul, seemingly speechless, thrust the contract back into her hands and stormed out of the room.

"That's about as close as to an approval as you'll get," Gary laughed at Dawn's intimidated face.

Dawn laughed unsurely, but she couldn't fight off an apprehensive feeling at Paul's retreating figure.

&.

"Okay, I did it, are you happy?" Dawn, relieved that everything was over, had changed back into her old long dress and beanie.

"Wait… you're leaving?" Ash stood there, dumbfounded in front of the agency offices.

"You can't possibly expect me to keep this up," Dawn laughed nervously, a hand tentatively scratching her neck.

Ash gave her a pointed look. "You _have_ to! What will Dan do?"

Dawn felt her anger flare at the name _Dan_. "I don't know who _Dan_ is, alright!? I don't care. I have more important things to do."

Ash seemed puzzled, but then suddenly understood the reason for Dawn's anger. "Dawn… don't you think that… Sylvia might be Dan?"

Dawn whirled around, face disbelieving. "That's impossible! Sylvia is a girl!"

Ash only shrugged, pointing out the picture again. "This boy looks exactly like you and shares your last name. Sylvia is missing. I think you need to face the facts, Dawn."

Dawn, torn between logic and emotion, let out a cry of frustration. "But… it doesn't make any sense…"

"It will if you stay. We'll find out."

Dawn blinked away her confused tears and met the gaze of a determined Ash.

"I promise you will find out the truth as long as you cooperate for the sake of Dan," Ash said.

Dawn bit her lip, still feeling doubtful. "I… don't know Dan…"

She looked up to see a pleading look on Ash's face, and that's when a memory far, far in the back of her mind triggered and pulled her back into the past - a memory that would ultimately ensure that she accepted Ash's request.

&.

"Welcome to our humble abode!"

Dawn stepped into the Archangel's mansion and immediately tried to repress a surprised squeal of delight. Never had she thought that she could ever get this close to luxury in her entire life. The walls were all different colors and the furniture classy, the variations so numerous that Dawn couldn't find words to describe it besides _luxurious_.

"You look quite impressed," Barry noted with a chuckle.

"Oh, uh, I'm just not used to this is all," Dawn told him with a sheepish smile.

Barry bought it, nodding understandingly. "Alright, then, I'll leave you to it!"

True to his word, the bright blond bounded off, leaving the blue-haired girl off to explore by herself. With stars in her eyes and a smile on her lips, she tentatively peeked into the several rooms. Kitchens, living rooms, televisions, the countless music rooms… all furnished in different colors and textures and themes.

In the midst of her exploration, she opened the door to a very different looking room. Stepping inside, she noted that the color scheme was black and white, with a hint of blue – a stark contrast to all of the other rooms she had seen this far, which were very colorful. Walking further inside, she found that pictures of Paul adorned all of the walls, and stopped to stare.

He really was amazingly handsome, but Dawn could only shudder now at the face. The memory of his terrifying glare would be burned into her mind _forever_.

"Hm? What's this…?" Dawn picked up a photo frame on the bedside table, noting that a second picture in the back about to fall out. She went to pull it out, and –

"What the hell are you doing in my room."

Dawn bit her lip to suppress a scream and leaped back from the frame, and in the process allowing it to clatter to the floor. "Oh! I'm sorry, let me just–"

Paul sighed angrily and bent to pick up the frame first. "Look – Dan, or whatever your name is, there are three rules that you absolutely must follow in this house. Got it?"

Dawn nodded meekly.

Paul continued, face stoic and arms crossed, "Do not touch me. Don't touch my things. Don't come in my room."

Dawn hung her head at the sudden display of hostility and murmured, "Sorry…"

The other boy only ignored her, only signaling that it would be best Dawn got out quick before he decided to change his mind and do something worse. Dawn, catching onto the meaning, left quickly before shutting the door behind her.

_What a great start we're off to here…_

&.

"To Dan Berlitz!"

Glasses filled with several different types of alcohol all came together with a series of clinks, and giggles erupted from the group as they all downed their respective drinks.

The atmosphere was positively cackling with sexual charge – a party complete with lights, dancing, music, drinks, and more famous celebrities than you could possibly name. A party that Brock had decided to throw in honor of Dawn's joining (or a cleverly used excuse) which everyone seemed to be enjoying – except Paul, but he didn't enjoy much.

"Say, what exactly is this?"

Dawn turned to Ash and Misty, who sat on either side of her to protect her just in case anything out of line happened. She held up a glass with amber liquid in their faces, and Misty merely frowned and took it away from her.

"Something _strong_, and something you should not be drinking." She took a sip of it before shuddering and setting it back down. _If __**I**__ can't handle it, how will she?_

Ash pushed the glass back to Dawn. "Oh, _relax_, Mist! This is her first time doing stuff like this, let her have some fun!"

"Oh, I will," Misty said darkly, watching Dawn sip the concoction curiously, knowing that the other girl would full well come to regret her decision in a matter of minutes. Sure enough, the faux-boy band member downed drink after drink, finally reaching the point where she was completely and utterly _wasted_.

Paul watched this from across the table, sneering, muttering something that sounded like, "Troublesome."

Ash and Misty at this point were off, engaged in the party themselves, which left Dawn free to do whatever she wanted. She shakily stood up from one of the chairs, only to nearly fall over from the wave of nausea that hit her.

"It's… so… hot…" Dawn slurred, stumbling her way over to the stairs, angering some innocent bystanders as she bumped into them. Eventually, she ran into Gary, who caught her with an amused grin.

"This is your first time drinking, isn't it?"

Dawn tilted her head. _But don't you need to drink water to live?_ "It's so hot…" she found herself saying instead.

Gary nodded, as if agreeing. "Yeah, your forehead is all sweaty. Why don't you unbutton your shirt and take it off?" he suggested. He pulled at the collar of Dawn's shirt, which effectively jolted her out of her drunken state a little bit.

"N-No! I mean, I'm fine… I just need some fresh air!" Dawn swatted his arm away, and then quickly shoved past him, making her way to the stairs and climbing them up one by one with obvious difficulty.

"Weird…" Gary just shrugged and headed back inside.

Up on the roof, Dawn finally managed to reach it and she gladly stumbled to the center, breathing in the fresh air with relief.

"What are _you _doing here?"

Dawn turned her squinted eyes to what looked like an angry Paul, who crossed his arms and stood defiantly in front of her. _Just like that other day…_

She felt a lurch in her stomach and realized how nauseous she felt. Immediately, she begin gagging, "I – I'm gonna throw up!"

This jolted Paul out of his glaring contest, and he looked truly off guard as he began to back away from Dawn as if she was toxic. "Um, I – use this?" He held out a plastic cup someone had left behind.

Dawn only shook her head and pushed it away. "It-it's full!"

Paul seemed at a loss for words as slightly panicky; he scanned the area for anything else that could help – eyes finally stopping as he came across an old cardboard pizza box.

_This is about to get disgusting…_ Paul handed it to her, and she gladly obliged, vomiting what seemed like a week's worth of food and drink. Trying to restrain his gag reflex, he carefully set the box down and backed away from it, pitying the poor soul who would stumble upon it in cleaning.

"Ah… much better…" Dawn smiled giddily and stumbled to the edge of the roof, looking down, as if looking for something.

Paul stared at her in disbelief. "What an idiot…"

Not much else could be said before footsteps were heard, and Gary and Barry joined the two on the roof. "There you guys are!"

Paul merely rolled his eyes. "Where else would I be? You know I don't like parties."

"Dan doesn't seem to either," Gary commented, grinning playfully at the oblivious Dawn, who was now balancing herself on the picnic table.

"They have something in common!" Barry cheered and began laughing, which slowly died down as Paul's glare on him intensified.

"Do _not_ associate me with that troublesome idiot."

"Aw, and I thought we could work in some bonding now that we're all up here…" Barry pouted.

Gary rolled his eyes at their banter but froze as something else caught his eye. Dawn's footing begin to slip –

"Dan!" Gary rushed to the spot, and once the other two boys realized, they followed suit.

Dawn felt everything slow down as her body was jolted forward, and could only keep track of the three angelic faces before her.

Narrowed raven eyes, wide sunshine eyes, and sweet, dark chocolate ones were all on her.

_Barry, Paul, Gary… I wonder where I will fall?_


	2. Chapter 2: Realization Dawns

**A/N:** I am pleased with the reviews I have gotten so much :') Thanks you all, a bunch! Paul and Dawn's relationship is going to develop slowly – but surely! It'll be AMAZING in the end. Poke/Contest are side supporting ships to keep you entertained, and whether it becomes canon or not is up to you! ;)

_**(A.K.A. REVIEW!**__**)**_ **(That means **_**you**_**, those who are following and favoriting without leaving reviews!)**

If you are going to follow or favorite, it wouldn't hurt to leave a review after all! ;) (My subliminal messaging is awful, I know.)

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the second chapter!

* * *

**Operation Crossdress  
.x.  
**_Chapter Two: Realization Dawns_

* * *

_Dawn sat alone on the stone-embedded steps leading to the church in the dark, holding on to the promise that Mother Superior would return soon to come pick her up. In the meantime, the kind lady had left behind a photo album for the young girl to look at._

_The five year old sighed almost mournfully as she flicked across to a page with a photograph of a small child who was the spitting image of her, identical save for her long hair._

"_I wonder why she left…" the blue-haired girl thought to herself, finger tracing the outline of the kid in the photograph thoughtfully._

_Her guardian arrived soon enough with the old, familiar worn down car they rode in. Dawn stepped inside with a grateful grin, feeling truly blessed to have such a caring lady for her mother. She was content with her life, of course, but that didn't quite extinguish the questions regarding her shady past._

"_Mother Superior, why have I never been able to see my twin?" she asked, her tone so innocent it made the elder's heart break._

"_This again, dear?" the woman replied nervously, seemingly burdened at the fact the topic was brought up once again._

"_I want to know!" Dawn insisted defiantly, tears pricking at her wide, navy colored eyes._

_The woman pulled to the side of the road and stopped the car, taking a moment to sigh and steel herself. "She was taken by her mother."_

_Dawn was visibly shaken by this answer; her hands began to curl into fists to stop them from shaking. "You mean… __**my**__ mother?"_

"_No, not your mother." Mother Superior paused, and glanced around doubtfully. "Her other mother."_

"_Her… other mother?" _

"_Yes, Da—Sylvia, was taken by her other mother because she wished to have at least one of her children with her."_

_Dawn pouted and lay her head down. "But then what does that make me?"_

_Mother Superior had no answer for this, and simply began to drive again, and Dawn made no objections._

Dawn began to stir in her sleep, and she was jolted back to the present as her body began to awaken. However, last night's alcohol still had a strong hold on her, and she merely readjusted her position so that she was cuddling up to something warm.

She shifted back into the depths of her mind.

_Dawn was back at the party – the one thrown in honor of her joining of Archangels. This time, she was in center stage, all boyish clothes shed, only clad in a slinky, red, off the shoulder dress and her hair long and flowing._

_Everyone's eyes were on her as he began to sing, her angelic voice captivating every single pair of ears in the room. _

_Women wanted to be her, men wanted to be __**with**__ her._

_She was famous and she was singing and she was __**unstoppable**__._

_She finished off the song and went back-stage, reveling in the overflowing gifts and compliments thrown her way by fans and celebrities alike. She accepted all of them with a hundred-watt smile and sunshine eyes, dazzling everyone in a five foot radius._

_She truly was a __**star**__, and the best kind of star, at that. _

_Finally, she was confronted by the three members of Archangels._

"_Dawn…" She glanced up to see Gary making his way to her, with something akin to a lovelorn look on his features. He took her right hand in his and kept his intense gaze on her. _

"_Dawn…" This time, it was Barry's voice calling out to her as she looked to her right, where the handsome blond kneeled and took her other hand, the same lovesick look adorning his face._

"_Dawn…" _

_The ultimate prize stood before her - Paul. She was absolutely shocked at the look of utter lust in his eyes – it was something so impossible, yet, so pleasurable… _

_He leaned in for a kiss…_

Dawn awoke once more in a cold sweat, the last moments of her dream still fresh in her mind. Blushing intensely at the fact she had had such a – such a crude, _inappropriate_ dream (what would Mother Superior say?!), she shifted her gaze from the ceiling to her surroundings.

Everything was blurry at first – but she took note of what seemed to be something rising and falling. Squinting her eyes, her vision became slightly clearer, she found the source – which happened to be Gary's sleeping figure beside her, his chest rising and falling peacefully in slumber.

Not processing the information fully, Dawn's eyebrows furrowed as she glanced to her other side, where she noted something that looked quite similar to before.

_Is that… Barry? _

Dawn took notice of the arm lying across his chest.

_Wait._

With a start, one incredibly embarrassing yet true fact came to her: That was _her_ arm slung across Barry's naked torso.

Biting back a scream, she pulled back her offending appendages and sprung to her feet. She determinedly kept her teeth on her tongue to refrain from giving herself away, and lastly giving a fleeting glance at her resting companions before fleeing the room.

_Is there a sane reason why I'm sleeping in the living room in the middle of three guys?! Thank god Paul wasn't next to me…_

She bounded down a hallway, looking for a way out, when finally came across a sliding glass door to where the patio might be – and somewhere where no one would hear her, hopefully, and ran outside.

Once she was outside, she let out a huge breath.

Then, she screamed.

_Okay, I got that out._

She guided her trembling body down to one of the benches, sitting down and performing breathing exercises to calm down.

_This really wasn't a good idea…_

Dawn took to examining her once again impressive surroundings. The patio was a wide area with several tables and chairs adorning it, probably a perfect spot for parties. It was adorably and colorfully themed like the rest of the house (Paul probably hadn't had control over this area, Dawn thought with a chuckle) and was the perfect place to catch a cool breeze.

She began to calm down, but inevitably her mind wandered to the one question itching to be asked.

_What happened last night?_

The morning she had awoken, she had found their heads all resting on the same pillow, sleeping in the following order: Paul, Gary, Dawn, and Barry.

However, there had to be some sort of _reason_ – they all had separate rooms, didn't they? Why did they all end up on the floor?

Dawn squeezed her eyes shut and tried to recall details of the night before. Something did come to mind – the party last night. She had a lot of this strange amber colored liquid to drink…

_What was that stuff, anyway?_

Dawn ignored the question, figuring it was probably insignificant. She again concentrated on remembering. She had drunk a lot, and that's when the details got _really_ fuzzy.

_Come on, think…!_

She had felt nauseous and gone up to the roof, and some other things happened, she couldn't remember for sure, but she thought it involved Paul… she gulped at that fact. Ignoring the apprehensive feeling she got at the thought of Paul, she continued her memory recalling.

Then, she was walking on the picnic table on the roof, and… her balance had slipped! Right? And then…

Nothing.

Dawn blinked, and then frowned as she brought a fist to her head and pounded. _Come on, brain, don't give up on me now!_

However, try as she might, the events of after she had slipped on the table were something she had no memory of. She was drawing a complete blank and she couldn't do anything about it.

"HEY!"

Dawn flinched violently as she felt her heart nearly stop at the sudden shout.

_It's a miracle I haven't been killed off by heart failure yet._

Barry slid the glass door open with a loud _click_, and marched up to the blue-haired girl in what appeared to be defiant anger.

"What d'you think you're doing, man!?" Barry demanded to know, saddling up in front of the sitting Dawn with a hand planted firmly on his hip.

Dawn gulped. _Is he talking about this morning? _"I – what are you talking about?"

"Last night, of course!" Barry said, anger still apparent in his tone as he took a particularly vicious bite out of the apple clutched in his hand.

_Poor apple…_

Dawn was jolted out of her sympathy for the fruit, however, when she found herself under Barry's intent, accusatory glance once more. She would apologize, of course… if she knew what she was apologizing for.

"What happened last night?" Dawn asked innocently, eyes wide and a finger placed on her chin.

Barry's eyes glazed over for a second at the action, but he seemed to snap out of it as he shook his head hastily. "Don't play dumb, mate!"

"I'm not playing dumb!" Dawn insisted, lips in a firm line. She nearly groaned in frustration at the other boy's indignant antics. If he would just _tell _her what happened last night, then she could apologize –

Her thoughts froze in place as Barry took another angry bite out of his apple, and Dawn immediately found her eyes drawn to his lips.

_Wait, what!?_

Dawn tried to tear her eyes away, but she just _couldn't_ – there was something entrancing about the way he bit into the crimson apple, and the clear, slightly crème colored juice that coated his lips…

_**Not **__entrancing, no!_

Wait… _lips._

And that's when the last piece of the memory came into place.

&.

_Gary rolled his eyes at their banter but froze as something else caught his eye. Dawn's footing begin to slip – _

"_Dan!" Gary rushed to the spot, and once the other two boys realized, they followed suit. _

_Dawn felt everything slow down as her body was jolted forward, and could only keep track of the three angelic faces before her._

_**Barry, Paul, Gary… I wonder where I will fall?**_

_Dawn fell forward right in the middle into one of their arms, toppling him over with the force. His back hit the ground with a rough __**thud**__, but the pain wasn't the first thing he experienced after he fell._

_Dawn's lips crashed with scary accuracy onto his, and both of their eyes widened in the split second before Dawn fainted and the boy hastily shoved her off of him. _

"_Oh, lord…"_

&.

Dawn fought the urge to curse and let out a small yelp instead. "Oh, good god…"

Barry just scoffed. "Looks like you remember, now, eh?"

Dawn brought her hands to her face in an attempt to cool down her blazing cheeks. But wait, there was just one problem: _which_ boy had she accidentally kissed?!

Gulping, Dawn took another discreet glance at Barry's face again.

_I was drawn to his lips for some reason, as if they rang a bell…Wait. Don't tell me!_

"I am so sorry for what I did to you!" Dawn squealed, holding up her hands pleadingly to Barry. "Please forgive me, I swear it wasn't on purpose!"

"What're you apologizing to me, for?" Barry munched angrily on apple. "You know who you wronged, go apologize to _him_!"

The blond stalked off before discarding the apple core to the ground, mysteriously not too far away from where Dawn's head was.

_Who was it!?_

Dawn pouted before sighing in defeat, pulling herself off of the bench to head back inside. She wished to let the incident be forgotten, but obviously Barry wasn't willing to let it slide that easily. What, was he homophobic or something?

_Well, I guess it would be a little disturbing to kiss someone the same gender when you're straight… _

The thought did nothing to comfort her. The fact that her (fake?) gender was already playing such an important role this early on in the game should have told her something important –but alas, the blue-headed girl wouldn't realize that, not just yet.

After a good minute of walking, she found herself in the kitchen where Gary stood in his bed-head glory, brewing a pot of coffee.

"Oh, Dan." The brunette looked over at her, then back at the pot. "I'll pour you a cup. Take a seat."

Dawn complied without a word, sitting obediently and patiently. Gary chuckled at her actions before placing a mug carefully before her and moving to take the seat next to her.

"So," he said, taking his first sip.

Dawn gave him a questioning look with her brows knotted together. _Does he expect something? Oh, no… does he expect an __**apology**__!? It was him, wasn't it!?_

"I am really sorry," said Dawn, looking truly apologetic as she bowed her head in guilt. "I didn't mean to, I promise…"

Gary raised an eyebrow and began to open his mouth, but was interrupted by the energetic Barry sauntering into the kitchen. The boy stopped as soon as he caught sight of Dawn, though.

"You're kidding, right? What are you doing here! You should be up in Paul's room, _begging_ for forgiveness!" Barry shouted.

Gary shut his mouth. _That explains it…_

"Oh, no…" Dawn moaned, dropping her head into her hands.

_If this keeps up I'll need life insurance against Paul…_

As if on cue, Paul walked in the room, and as soon as he did, everything went silent.

"…" Dawn looked helplessly to Barry and Gary, who suddenly conveniently remembered having things to do and exited the room hastily, with Gary at the blonde's heels, forcibly pushing him out.

She slowly, unwillingly turned her gaze towards Paul, and nearly flinched at the sight she saw. He looked like a hot mess – (that is, a _hot_ hot mess) and had the most peculiar, bright red sore on his bottom lip.

_Jesus H. Christ, someone help me._

Going with her instincts, Dawn quickly stood up and kneeled before him. "Before you say anything, I am really, _really_ sorry for what happened last night! I swear I didn't mean it and I'll do anything to make it up to you!"

Paul's scowl remained unchanged. In fact, it seemed to deepen, as if he was restraining himself from doing worse. Then, he ignored the girl as he went on to the fridge for a glass of water.

Dawn stood still in her position unsurely. "Does that mean… you forgive me?"

At this, Paul whirled around sharply. "Absolutely not. You broke rule number one, Troublesome. _Do. Not. Touch. Me._"

Dawn grimaced at the pure malice in his tone.

But, there was a little part of her that remained defiant, as she mumbled quietly, "It's not that big of a deal, I'm a 'guy'…what did I do that was so bad?"

Unfortunately for her, the purple-haired boy in the room had rather astute hearing. "What did you _do_? You mean when you kissed me, or when you promptly vomited on me right after!?" he roared as he seemingly snapped.

_Shit! I threw up on him!? _

Dawn winced and brought her hands to her face. "I…didn't...mean…to."

"Of _course_ you didn't," he spat hatefully. After aiming another fierce glare her way, he stormed out of the room, mumbling something about needing to get the 'disgusting Dan smell' off.

_I really don't think I want to know where that puke went, either…_

Shuddering and repressing a gag at the thought, Dawn hastily left up to her room.

Barry and Gary peeked in, eyes probing the room.

"Clear?"

"Yep."

They sauntered back in relief. _No one_ wanted to be in the way of Paul when he was mad.

_No one._

"That guy's bad news," Barry said, face scrunching up at the thought of their new band mate. Really, what an idiot! The guy has the nerve to pull a stunt like that right after he joins, and to _Paul_ no less?

Because of _that_ whole fiasco, the guys had been dead tired after arriving at the mansion having dragged Dawn and Paul on their backs the entire way. In their exhaustion, they all ended up deciding to crash in the living room.

"He's interesting," Gary laughed as he returned to his coffee, then frowning when he realized it had gone cold in his absence.

"Just don't get up on my case when what happened to Paul happens to you," Barry said with closure, slamming the refrigerator shut and leaving the room.

However, as soon as the blonde boy left, Gary found himself saying quietly, "I'm sure it wouldn't be that bad…"

Needless to say, the brunette boy had figured something interesting out last night.

&.

_Dawn's lips crashed with scary accuracy onto his, and both of their eyes widened in the split second before Dawn fainted and the boy hastily shoved her off of him. _

"_Oh, lord…" Barry murmured in fright at the scene. "Paul's going to __**kill**__ him!"_

_Gary just sighed. "Barry, you get Paul and call Ash for the van. I've got Dan."_

_Barry made a face. "But Paul's covered in puke!"_

"_Barry…" he pulled a face of utter exasperation._

"_Alright, alright, geez! The things I do for this guy…" Barry muttered, heaving the plum-haired vocalist up on his shoulders with some difficulty. _

_Waiting until the other boy left, Gary took to hauling Dawn up, surprised when he noted she was quite light. Realizing he wouldn't have to carry her on his back, he turned her body around to carry her in a fireman's lift instead._

_She leaned against him in her unconscious state, and Gary fumbled to grab hold of her waist before brushing past her hands._

…_Her __**hands.**_

_Doing a double take, Gary brought his own hands down to hers, feeling them once again and in shock about how soft they were. He went to wrap his arms around her waist, then cringing back in alarm at how tiny it was._

_**Now that's definitely not normal.**_

_But then something made him swallow as he realized how the girl's chest was pressed against his own._

_**Something doesn't feel right there…**_

_Alarmed at where his thoughts were leading him, he hesitantly brought a hand to her face and tenderly brushed away her azure locks to study her face, coming to find that her features were really quite…feminine…_

_Realization dawned upon his face._

&.

Dawn paced back in forth in her room.

_What now? I've royally screwed up, and I have no idea what to do!_

An idea struck her, though, and she paused in her pacing to whip out her cell phone. She scrolled down the contact list with barely hidden anticipation, and touched the contact name _Ash._

A few rings, then, "_Hello?_"

Dawn almost laughed with relief. Almost. "Thank goodness you're here!"

"_Why? What happened? Misty, I knew we shouldn't have left her alone! …Ash, shut up, that was your fault!_"

Dawn frowned into the phone. "Now is not the time, guys!"

"_Ah, sorry. So what happened?"_

"I kind of pissed off Paul…"

"_Oh, good god! Of all things, Dawn? Why!?_" Misty's voice came, sounding slightly off as if she was in the background.

"I didn't mean to at all!" Dawn insisted defiantly.

"_Hold on, I'm putting it on speakerphone. …There. Now, what exactly did you do?_" Ash's voice asked.

Dawn grimaced."…"

"_That bad? I mean, Paul gets pissed all the time, so what did you do that was __**so**__ bad?" _Misty sounded like she had had first-hand experience.

"I sort of… kissed him, and then proceeded to throw up… on him as well…"

Simultaneous cries, of "_Damn!"_ and "_What the hell?!"_ sounded through the phone.

"It was an _accident_!" Dawn reminded them.

"_What kind of accident is that?" _Ash snickered on the line, but stopped with a dejected, "_Ow, Misty!"_

Dawn just pouted in misery.

"_You poor, poor thing_…" Misty empathized.

"What do I do now?" Dawn asked in a panicky tone. "I mean, apparently last night, after I drank a lot of that stuff – hey what _was_ that? That's the whole reason this mess happened! I couldn't think straight!"

There was a guilty silence on the other end of the line before Misty responded, "_I told you not to let her drink, Ash, didn't I? __**Didn't I?**__ …And then you did."_

Finally, realization hit her, and Dawn's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "That was _alcohol_!?" she shrieked.

"_Calm down, Dawn! It's not like you're underage, geez."_

"But… but still!"

"_Alright, alright, just tell us the rest of the story!_"

Dawn sighed, but continued anyway, "And I was balancing on the table on the roof and lost my balance – and fell on top of Paul, knocking him to the ground, and… I guess you can tell what happened from there."

"_Ooh. That is __**bad**__," _said Misty.

"Misty!" Dawn whined.

"_Alright, alright…"_

Dawn brought her hand up to massage a temple. "Just… just help me, please, or I swear I'll be kicked out by these three and create a scandal before I even get the chance to quit."

The duo on the line remained silent for some time, before Misty seemed to strike an idea. "_The way to a man's heart is through his stomach!"_ Ash followed with, "_You got that right!_"

Dawn pondered this, and then smiled eagerly. "I _am_ a good cook!"

"_Yeah, see!? You've got this_!"

"Yeah!" Dawn chimed in.

"_You don't even need us!"_

"Yeah!" Dawn paused. "Wait, yes I do! Promise you'll pick up _every time_ I call!"

A sigh was heard, then, "…_We promise_."

Another thought came to Dawn and a terrible, evil smirk arose to her face before she said, "I understand I'm interrupting your love time, but I'm important, too!"

"_HEY!"_

She hung up, bursting into giggles.

&.

"Hey, Brock!"

"Hmm?"

"I'm bored."

Brock whirled around in his seat to glare at the co-manager of his agency. "Then _do _something."

Drew just sighed, retreating to spinning around in what he liked to call the "spinny-chair" and playing with post-it pads.

Sometimes, Brock had to wonder why he employed the guy for such an important position in the first pace, but he didn't dwell on that much longer as the phone rang, and he jumped to answer the call.

"Just another boring day at the Pewter & Co. Agency Offices…" Drew mumbled to himself, sticking a post-it on his head out of pure boredom. He frowned at the empty seat in his desk. "No May to bother, either…"

May had been absent since yesterday, which effectively put a damper on Brock's office. Her spunk was what really made work tolerable and fun, Drew had come to realize when he was stuck an entire day with _Brock_ the Hard Worker.

The door to the office door burst open and a bumbling heap of May flew in, a flurry of papers and windswept hair. "Sorry I'm late!"

Brock dismissed the excuse silently as he continued his conversation on the phone.

Drew grinned and pulled his chair up to her. "What's the excuse this time, Maple?"

"N-None of your business," May snapped, combing down her hair as she tried to organize her things. She added as an afterthought, "_Hayden_."

Drew brought a hand to his heart, feigning offense. "It is _too_ my business!" He leaned in closer with a smirk before adding, "I'm your boss."

She blushed to her roots but pushed him away, replying with annoyance, "Oh _please_, don't remind me."

Drew chuckled and retreated to his desk, figuring that was enough playing around with the bandana-clad girl…_for now_.

"Hey, but really, what's the excuse?" Drew asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh, I'll give you the excuse." May leaned over and switched the display on Drew's computer monitor and double-clicked the search engine icon.

Drew, however, was paying very little attention. May's head was centimeters away from his face, and he could smell the conditioner in her hair, and boy, was _that_ distracting…

_That can't be… roses?_

Drew, however, quickly pulled himself out of his reverie when he noticed the smug smirk Brock was giving him.

"I'm willing to bet you weren't checking to see if there was something in her hair," Brock teased.

"Shut it," the other man growled in response.

"Hello!? You two pay attention!" May said urgently, motioning for them to take a look at the screen.

Scrolling down, May revealed several photographs of the Archangels band members taken in what seemed to be secret and by mobile phone.

Then, a video clip displayed footage of Dawn and Paul being carried back into the car, both tattered and Paul sporting a bloody lip.

Several comments on threads revealed that most interpreted this as Dawn and Paul having gotten into a fight. This turned several against the new coming Dawn, and there were rumors of starting petitions to kick her out.

"Ugh, we need better damage control skills," Brock groaned as he fell back into his seat, hands covering his face.

"I'll say," Drew added, almost wincing at a particularly spiteful comment made about Dawn by another Archangels fan.

"What do we do?" Brock asked.

Silently, Brock and Drew turned to May.

"I'm the _assistant_, here! Don't ask me!" May pouted and hit them both.

The silence persisted for a few more seconds until Brock said, "You don't really think they fought, do you?"

May scoffed. "No way! Dan's the nicest guy ever! Not even Paul could make him do something like that."

"You don't know that," Drew snapped.

"So you think they fought?"

Brock sighed as their bickering begin once again, and cut in, "Okay, so instead of arguing over pointless things, why not find, I don't know, a _solution_?"

Again, silence.

"Why did I even hire you guys?"

&.

Dawn knocked on Paul's door tentatively, then treating back a few steps, preparing for any attacks.

Nothing.

Steeling herself with a few deep breaths, she entered the room for the second time.

_I'm not dead yet… should I take that as a sign to continue?_

Dawn carefully stepped further into room, ears and eyes alert for booby traps. When she encountered none and found that the dark vocalist was in the shower, she heaved a sigh of relief and allowed herself to relax.

"Okay, this gives me some time."

Dawn looked down at the tray in her hands. She had managed to rustle up some ingredients in the kitchen to prepare a cupcake, on which she cutely wrote with pink frosting: _Sorry!_ Beside it was a cup of the wonderful milk tea Mother Superior used to make her.

Well, Dawn thought it was cute. (Key word: Dawn.)

She carefully set it down, taking a minute to admire her work.

_Alright! Even Mr. Ice King shouldn't be able to resist this_!

She did a silent cheer and made a mental note to thank Misty later. Sensing that she had been lingering too long, Dawn turned to make her hasty retreat before –

Before Paul came out of the shower.

A dead silence rung throughout the room.

"I-I was just giving something to you!" she said hastily, biting her lip in fear.

However, all hopes of Paul being cooperative flew out the window once – "Why the hell are _you_ in here again? Get out!"

Dawn, ignoring the sting of his words, determinedly met his eye. "I just want to apologize for yesterday, I promise. Just allow me that."

Paul didn't cower in the least bit. "Just… Ugh." Paul clenched his eyes shut and brought his hand up to nurse what appeared to be an oncoming headache. "I need another shower, just leave."

Dawn decided to try her luck. "So… can you hopefully…forgive me and forget about this?"

Paul's head snapped up. "And why the hell would I do that?"

"Because it's what a normal human being would do," Dawn said in all seriousness.

Paul sneered and stepped closer. "Do I look like a normal human being?"

Dawn had been bearing it up to this point, but the now sudden proximity to Paul made her nervous and she swallowed.

"Once I start hating someone, I usually don't stop," he stated, voice eerily quiet as his eyes bore into Dawn's.

"Maybe I'm different," Dawn replied, but her voice cracked and she couldn't meet his eyes.

"Not if you keep up with the way you are now," Paul shot back, anger increasing a notch.

"I won't, so please accept my apology and leave it at that," Dawn pleaded, determined not to let her fear get the best of her.

In an attempt to shove past him, in a fantastic display she knocked the tray over, the cupcake flopping to the ground and the _scalding_ hot tea splashing against their feet, shards of the destroyed tea cup flying across the floor.

Dawn whimpered and Paul let out an enraged shout.

"This is your idea of apologizing?!" he yelled amidst the pain, picking a shard of the shattered tea cup off the floor and shoving it in her face. "You disgusting drunkard."

Dawn was aware Paul was probably yelling his guts out at her, yes, but she could only concentrate on the scalding pain on her feet and hands where the tea had splashed. The pain was too much for her and eventually, black spots enveloped her vision as she fell to the ground with a thud, _right_ on top of the broken shards.

"What the hell?" Paul, now shocked, had his face contorted into a wide-eyed grimace as he looked from the tea cup shard in his hands to the girl lying on the floor. "Hey. Are you okay…?" he begin to ask.

"_What's going on?!"_

Suddenly, the door to the room flew open and in rushed in Barry, Gary, Ash, and Misty. The four, appalled, observed the scene in terror.

Paul held an offending shard of glass in his hand as he towered over an unconscious Dawn, who was lying helplessly on the floor right on top of the broken shards.

"Stop, man!" Ash ran over to the scene as if breaking up a fight, wrapping his hands around Paul to get him to back off.

Paul angrily shoved him off. "I didn't do anything!"

The room was quiet with disbelief.

Misty simply gave him a cold glare before rushing to Dawn's side, carefully guiding the girl upright and whispering comforting words in her ear.

He turned to Barry and Gary, who only gave him worried looks.

"You too?" Paul asked. Frustrated, he pushed past his two band members and strode out of the room.

That was the last straw. It was either him or _Dan_, and since it was obvious who it was going to be…

He was out of here.

Done.

&.

"That's it, I'm moving in," Misty said.

Dawn just hung her head resignedly as the redhead tended to her injuries. They had ended up in a park with a first aid kit, since going to the hospital meant Dawn's cover being revealed. Misty was concerned, but Dawn was just disappointed.

"He hates me…" Dawn mourned, shaking her head.

"Stay still!"Misty chastised, angrily gripping the girl's head in her hands. "I swear, you're concerned about that after he did _this_ to you!?"

Dawn frowned and then gave Misty a questioning look. "But he didn't do this to me…"

Misty looked confused for a second, but began laughing. "Looks like you got hit in the head way too hard."

Dawn shook her head. "No, really! I was the one who knocked the tea over, that's the reason I got hurt," she insisted.

Misty pursed her lips, obviously still suspicious. "Something about the way he towered over you with that piece of glass in his hand was weird, though…"

"No, I'm sure of it. He never hurt me." Dawn gave Misty a firm look.

The redhead, still somewhat disbelieving, just spread more disinfecting agents on the cuts littering Dawn's arms. "I'm willing to bet he wants to."

Misty continued, "On another note, I think it might be a good idea if I moved in as the band's stylist."

"Why?"

Ash came up to them, hands filled with extra first aid supplies.

"For Dawn, of course," Misty answered. "It's obvious she has a bit of trouble living with the guys like that."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "And your solution is?"

"Move in with her?"

"In case you've forgotten, Dawn is a _guy_, Misty."

Misty grimaced. Ash was right. Dawn really _was_ trapped, in retrospect.

"Well, she's on Paul's bad side, now. She's screwed," said Misty with disdain.

Dawn caught the remark and pouted at it. Paul wasn't the kindest person, obviously, and he had been treating her pretty badly this far, however – she couldn't bring herself to really "hate" him back like he did her.

She, in all honesty, believed there was much more to him than it seemed.

&.

Making sure his sunglasses and hat were on properly, Paul stepped out of the car with baited breath. After realizing no one had recognized him, he strode inside the grand glass double doors of Hotel Eterna.

Here, he thought with malice, he wouldn't have to live with that blue-headed menace of a band mate.

He checked in at the front desk discreetly and requested the accountants to keep his stay a secret, just in case any scandals or rumors would form from this information. As much as he hated Dawn, it would be problematic if the public found out.

In the end, _he_ would be made out as the villain, and that's what fueled his hate for Dan most of all.

In his haste to reach his room, however, he almost missed the fleeting touch to his shoulder. Realizing it seconds later, he whirled around to suddenly be face to face with a woman.

A very familiar woman. A woman with dark, cold eyes hidden behind tinted sunglasses, dressed all in sexy black, and not to miss the long, curled, _plum_ locks that cascaded past her shoulders.

The spitting female image of Paul.

"What are you doing here," Paul growled, defense immediately switched on at the sight of her.

"I've missed you too, dear. Reggie has been out of town for several years, now," the woman replied with a smirk, pushing her glasses down to lock her eyes with his.

Paul's temper flared, and he simply shoved past her, fighting every fiber of his being on the impulse to look back.

He would never dare once to look back at the woman who was his so-called _Mother_.

More like _traitor_, Paul thought, the words hot on the tip of his tongue.

&.

"So I'm thinking we'll have to talk to him or something," Brock sighed.

The trio at the agency office now sat in a circle on the floor, playing Go Fish.

Whoever said they were fully-grown, _capable_ adults?

"You'd have better luck talking to a brick wall," May spat in annoyance, appalled by the suggestion. She had worked alongside the guy for a few years now, and had grown quite immune to his attractiveness, and ever more aware of his bitter personality.

"Scratch that, at least the brick wall wouldn't walk away," Drew added. "Any fives?"

Brock and May each passed him a card. Brock, suddenly frustrated, threw his cards on the ground and stood up. "This is ridiculous! Playing _Go Fish_ isn't any better than not talking to him!"

Drew raised an eyebrow before adding Brock's discarded cards to the deck. _More for us_. "You're the president, it's your job to do something."

Brock grit his teeth. "And you're my partner, it's your job to _help_."

Drew sighed dramatically before dropping down his cards as well, ignoring May's indignant punch in the arm. "Fine, I suppose I can stop my game to help you for a _little_ bit."

"Where do you think he's at?" Brock asked, fiddling with the cell phone in his hand. News had reached him from Misty that the Dan/Paul situation was now infinitely worse – Paul caught towering over an unconscious Dan with a glass shard in his hand. Even worse, Paul had apparently stormed out of the house and hadn't been seen since, his reasoning being that he couldn't stand to be around Dan.

"Eterna Hotel," Drew answered without missing a beat.

"What-? How did you?"

"Don't ask. Try Skyping him now."

Brock gave Drew a flabbergasted expression. "Where's all this coming from?"

May piped in from behind, "They used to have some weird bromance before Paul started the band, so apparently he knows the bastard through and through. Just trust him."

Brock raised an eyebrow but complied and signed into his Skype account. Sure enough, there was a little green dot on his contacts list that proved Drew's suspicions correct.

"Why the hell would he be on Skype? Paul isn't…social," Brock said, exchanging a puzzled glance with May.

"He writes songs when he gets stressed, and Skype automatically logs him on whenever he turns on his laptop."

Now, Brock _and_ May turned around to give him a look.

"Just do it," Drew said in exasperation.

Deciding the situation at hand was more important, Brock quickly hit the call button. He almost feared the man wouldn't pick up – before he remembered victoriously, _oh fricking yeah, I'm goddamn president of the agency, hell yeah he has to take my call!_

Still… Paul was scary, Brock added as an afterthought.

Finally, the rings ceased and Paul's stoic face appeared on the screen.

"_What_," he spat, as if the mere action of talking pained him.

"You know _what_," Brock said back, much too immune to Paul's words through the years of working with him.

"_I'm_ _not going back, if that's what you're asking. I've had enough of that girly-looking dunce._" If possible, Paul's glare grew colder.

"You're creating a scandal!"

"_And_ _you're not, Mr. I'm-dating-Queen-Lucy_?"

"How do you know about that!?" Brock sighed in aggravation and leaned back into his chair, massaging his temples. "Drew…"

Drew, on cue, shifted into view of the webcam. "Paul, this is going to be really bad if the public gets hold of it and you _know_ it."

And try as he might, but Paul couldn't fight against simple logic, and the way his head was suddenly downcast with defeat proved it. "_Just…I…"_

While Drew and Paul exchanged hushed banter, Brock's cell phone gave little jingle. He fished it out of his pockets to find a message from Ash.

_I'm here with Dan and Misty outside. We need to see you guys, it's important._

Brock jumped at the sudden information. "Paul, stay right there, we'll be back."

And with that, the spiky-haired man grabbed Drew and May and fled the room.

Paul seemed surprised for the slightest bit, then face retreating into the usual sneer as he reminded himself this was _Brock_ he was dealing with. Annoyed, he went to go on and hang up anyway, who knew how long those three would be gone?

That's when two familiar figures ambled into the room.

"Quick, we don't have much time!" Someone Paul identified as their stylist, Misty, said, hurriedly pulling who Paul distinctly and angrily recognized as Dan inside of the room and locking it.

"Misty, is _here_ really a good place? The dressing rooms are much more private," Dan insisted.

Paul raised an eyebrow. Where_ exactly _was this conversation heading?

Misty growled, "Yeah, too bad I only realized your binder was out of place _after_ we were halfway inside. Now, hurry up and take off your shirt!"

Paul didn't have any drink to spit-take – so he settled on choking on his own spit, instead. _What_ did that redhead just say?

"Can we turn the lights off just in case?" Dawn timidly asked as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

Misty sighed, but complied with the blue-haired girl's wishes.

Paul cursed as everything went black, and could only hear fumbling and hushed tones in the dark. However, his sharp mind told him to go ahead and record what was going to happen from now, in a flash of foresight.

Then, the lights flipped back on, and Paul hadn't a clue what happened.

"Thanks, Misty," Dawn said. "Without you I don't know _how_ I'd be able to pull of being a boy."

"Is that an insult?" Misty asked suspiciously.

"Of course not," Dawn giggled. "It's just that I'm, y'know, a _girl_."

Misty rolled her eyes. "You're _welcome_. Now c'mon, let's go catch up with the others."

Realization dawned upon Paul.

&.

"Dancing is hard."

Dawn pouted as she collapsed in a heap to the floor, exhausted after a mere twenty minute training session for dance moves they would have to perform for their newest concert. The studio was ruthless, indeed.

"This is nothing," Gary chuckled as he sat beside her.

Dawn just sighed, eyelids drooping in fatigue. Gary seemed to notice how truly tired she was and felt a pang of sympathy. He reached for his own towel and drooped it around Dawn's sweaty figure.

Dawn flinched at the move and her eyes widened, and Gary chuckled with amusement again. "I'm not contagious, Dan."

_He's being oddly nice…_ Dawn smiled warmly and opened her mouth to thank him, but froze in place as she caught sight of Misty and Ash beckoning her to come outside. She left without another word, failing to recognize the disappointed look on Gary's face.

"What is it?" Dawn asked as the duo dragged her outside.

"The guys are going to shower, and you better do yours now if you catch my drift," Ash said awkwardly, feeling the secondhand embarrassment from Dawn's situation.

"Yeah, and since I can't actually go in there, I'll leave it to Ash to watch you. Be careful!" Misty gave her a quick hug and parted ways as soon as they reached the men's showers.

"Go in and finish up quick!" Ash handed her a plastic bag of clothes and shoved her inside. He would keep watch, just in case. If anyone tried to come in – well, he would think of an excuse then.

That didn't make very much sense – but unfortunately, without Misty there, they would have to do without common sense.

Ash waited for ten minutes, then started to grow antsy as he checked his watch more frequently. "Dawn?" he called hesitantly.

"Yeah, sorry it's taking a while, I have to wash my hair!" she called.

Ash rolled his eyes. Only women would take time washing _short_ hair.

Five more minutes later and Ash was downright panicky. "Dawn, you should _really_ be wrapping up…"

"Don't worry, I'm almost fully dressed!"

Ash let out a breath of relief, only to suck it back in again.

Hoards of guys were running towards him.

Towards the _showers._

"Oh, _shit_…" Ash put his head in his hands. What was going to be his excuse? The showers didn't work? They would clearly see through that one!

Unfortunately, he didn't have the chance to think up that clever excuse as all the rowdy guys pushed him aside to enter the showers, and Ash had to sigh in defeat.

_Well, at least __**she's**__ fully clothed… that girl is going to be scarred for life. _

&.

Inside, Dawn's instincts kicked in at the situation: freezing up.

Rowdy, sweaty guys bounded in and banged open the lockers, immediately undressing and their loud voices echoing off the walls.

_It's like my own personal little brand of hell._

She took deep breaths and hid behind the second row of lockers, not daring to glance behind her to survey how bad the situation _really_ was.

"Yo!"

Dawn felt her heart leap but forced herself to look to the side, where an older guy stood in front of her, condescending look plastered all over his face. She didn't dare look anywhere under his chin.

"Y-Yes?" She determinedly kept her eyes in front of her.

"You showered that quick, new guy?" he asked with an amused glint in his eyes.

"Yes."

"Well, are you gonna head out, then?"

"Of course," Dawn breathed.

The guy raised his eyebrows but went off to the showerheads, allowing Dawn to release a huge breath of air.

Ash never said anything about _this_ while having to pose as a freaking male rock star!

_I swear I am going to __**kill**__ him!_

Dawn, however, realized that murderous thoughts towards Ash was not going to help with her current dilemma at all. She had an unnatural tendency to freak out when in close proximity to males because of her upbringing – but _nude_ males was an entirely different story.

_Okay, all you have to do is walk out. All you have to do is walk out. Walk out. Walk out. Walk out._

Dawn repeated these comforting words as she began to take her baby steps out of the room. She almost smiled, it wasn't so bad when you had something comforting to focus on. Of course, that comfort didn't last much longer.

"Oi, you already showered?"

Suddenly, she was face to face with none other than Barry.

_Okay, he has a towel on. Not that bad._

Dawn laughed nervously, "Y-Yeah! Aha, I came down here early…"

"Oh, that makes sense." He paused and nodded. "I was always curious, since I never saw you in the guys' showers anywhere else before. I kinda thought you never showered," he added sheepishly.

"Funny…" Dawn said flatly, tone a mix between annoyance and nervousness.

"Yeah, but looks like you're all clean," Barry joked with a lighthearted grin. "Well, I'll be off!"

Dawn went to breathe a sigh of relief – but immediately felt her breath catch in her throat at the next thing that happened.

He brought his hand to the towel and removed it with one fellow _swish_, rendering Dawn incapable of speech. Fortunately, he didn't notice, leaving Dawn to stand there like an extremely scarred statue.

_Oh my__** god**__! Please say that did not just happen!_

She stood there for what seemed like at least half an hour, trying to convince herself that _no_, she did not see anything today Rated R, but failing to all the while.

She was finally shaken out of it as she felt a towel cover her eyes.

"H-Huh?" Dawn whirled around to find Gary standing there, amused expression ever but present on his face.

"I can't shower with you here," Gary said, then laughing at the confused expression Dawn gave him. _Let's let her take that however she wants._

"Use the extra towel to dry your hair," Gary added to clear up the confusion. He gently rested his hands on her shoulders and steered her out of the room once and for all, finally shaking Dawn out of her stupor.

"Th-Thanks so much, Gary!" Dawn gratefully managed a half-hug before started to run down the hallway, ever thankful to get away from the god-forsaken men's showers.

_She is so funny_… Gary stared a bit longer after her before retreating inside.

Dawn ran, ran, and ran as far as her legs would carry her, wanting to get rid of the unwanted images, circling, circling in her head. She needed a distraction –

Her running ceased as she ran straight into the stoic-faced man known as Paul.

Dawn stopped and backed away, wide-eyed and puzzled at his presence. What could he possibly want to do with her after all of that?

The two lingered in the silence for a while, sharing a tense, tense gaze. Clear azure against velvety black, a perfect foil.

Then, he reached out and wrapped his arms very lightly around her torso, effectively shocking her.

_Snap!_

Dawn froze in the hug and scanned the perimeter. _What was that sound just now?_ She didn't have time to wonder, however, because of the more strange incident that was happening right then at hand.

Paul retreated and suddenly had the most smug look plastered all over his face.

"You. I have something to show you."


	3. Chapter 3: Third Time's the Charm

**The Characters This Far.**

**Dawn Berlitz.** 21. An obedient, innocent girl raised in a church, now pretending to be her twin brother (?) in the famous band, Archangels.

**Dan Berlitz. **21. The newest member of Archangels, currently away for a month getting failed plastic surgery fixed.

**Paul Everett. **24. The lead vocalist and most popular of Archangels, he's got a seemingly cold-hearted and dark personality. He dislikes Dawn with a passion, and he knows her secret.

**Gary Oak. **22. The sweet, romantic guitarist of Archangels. He seems to have taken a liking to Dawn, and knows her secret.

**Barry Hunter.** 22. The bright-spirited, bubbly drummer of Archangels. He seems to have taken a disliking to Dawn.

**Ash Ketchum. **24. The manager of Archangels, he's a little dense but good at what he does. He's extremely close with the stylist.

**Misty Waterflower. **23. The stylist and co-manager of Archangels, she has a kind heart behind the fiery temper. She has a huge crush on Ash.

**Brock Pewter.** 27. The president of the Pewter & Co. Agencies. Secretly dating Queen Lucy.

**Drew Hayden. **25. The co-president of the Pewter & Co. Agencies. Smug and a playboy, but has a thing for his assistant.

**May Maple. **24. The assistant to the managers of the Pewter & Co. Agencies. She's creative and bubbly, a fan of Dan, but an even bigger "fan" of Drew.

* * *

**Operation Crossdress  
.x.**  
_Chapter Three: Third Time's the Charm_

* * *

_Click!_

Ash hastily stepped behind a pillar to hide in the main hallway in Pewter Studios, digital camera clutched in his hands. Glancing around to make sure he was hidden, Ash retreated and sat down to look at that picture he had taken.

There in the picture, was a photo of none other than Dan Berlitz in the warm embrace of his fellow band-mate: Paul Everett.

In victory, Ash let out a silent cheer. This photo was perfect for clearing up the little Dan/Paul fiasco that had erupted in the past few days! Misty would be _so _proud. Well, she would refrain from hitting him for the next couple of days at least, he supposed.

Eyes still glued to the picture, Ash's face begin to contort into a frown.

_Say, what compelled Paul the Ice Cube to hug Dawn, anyway?_

Ash pondered this and considered stealing one more glance from the duo, but shaking away the thought immediately. He didn't want to interrupt whatever godly force that was causing this to happen (why question something good?) and he had already made Dawn suspicious with the camera click.

"Hope Dawn manages to control her _raging hormones_," Ash whispered under his breath, rolling his eyes.

&.

Dawn froze with an utterly bewildered expression on her face. Not that you could blame her, of course. Getting hugged by an extremely attractive male rock star that also hated you with a burning passion was enough to give the average girl a heart attack.

Fortunately, Dawn was used to the insanity that was Archangels, and simply swallowed at the smug look on Paul's face.

"What?" she managed to finally say.

Paul's smirk grew more devilish (if that was even possible) as he stuck a hand in his pocket and brought out his cell phone.

He held the screen in front of her face and tapped the triangular play button. What followed after it immediately resulted in an awful feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. The footage displayed Dawn and Misty earlier on in Brock's office - more specifically, when Dawn had oh so _conveniently_ confessed to being a girl.

"Um." Dawn swallowed and kept her head downcast, not able to look him in the eye.

"Not just a drunkard, but a liar too?" Paul sneered and gave her one of the most condescending looks Dawn had ever seen.

"Look," Dawn spoke up, determination striking her as she daringly looked up to meet his gaze. "I didn't mean to deceive you. I have a reason, you've got to-"

Paul let out a sound Dawn distantly identified as a cold chuckle. "And I've got to go along with everything you say? Listen, Troublesome, I've had enough of your shit." He paused, and the smug look turned cold. "You're done."

And with that, Paul begin walking with the phone in his hand, leaving Dawn alone in the middle of the hallway. She was too shocked to move, but once the reality of the situation sunk in, she begin running after him, ahead of him.

She stood in front of the doors, blocking him. "Please, just listen to me!"

Paul stopped in front of her, expression flat. "Move."

"Don't leave like this!"

He attempted to push her away from the door, but admittedly found it difficult.

_Who the hell knew girls were this strong? That is, if you could call this idiot a girl._

Dawn squeezed her eyes shut as she struggled to keep a strong hold on the door handles, but it was obvious she was fighting a losing battle.

_Come on, come on, this is for Mother!_

In a fit of bravery and impulse, Dawn went for it and snatched the cell phone from Paul's hands.

There was a very, very silent moment. Paul looked at her as if he couldn't believe what just happened – but neither could Dawn, as she looked back and forth from the phone to him. Unfortunately, reality hit them both at the same moment and soon enough Dawn was sprinting out the doorways with Paul at her heels.

Paul was the faster runner and he caught the other girl by a vicious grip to the arm before she had even managed to cross the balcony, and soon enough it had turned into an all out struggle for the now incredibly valuable possession known as Paul Everett's cell phone.

In the midst of the flurry of hands and feet and one jumping electronic device, the said item suddenly flew out of their reach by the swat of a hand and plummeted down over the balcony, out of their reach.

Paul gave Dawn a very, very, terrifying glare.

"I'll get it," she said in a meek whisper, head downcast as she begin to walk outside and down the stairs in defeat. Paul followed, rolling his eyes all the while.

_What happened to that idiotic courage to face me earlier?_

Paul walked on behind her glaring at her all the while, while Dawn winced as she looked out of the corner of her eye. She _did_ mean to delete the video - but she didn't mean to break his phone or anything!

Once they reached the ground floor, Paul extended his hand with a stoic expression in place. "Phone. Now."

"B-But I'm not… sure where it is…"

Paul's expression flickered to one of disbelief and then back again. "I meant _yours_."

Dawn's eyes widened in understanding and she nodded before hastily and obediently taking out her phone and dropping it in his extended palm.

He punched in a few numbers and paused. A classic, cell phone marimba tone suddenly came to, and both Dawn and Paul scanned the area for the noise. They wandered over to the parking lot and eventually traced down the sound on top of the food delivery truck.

"Go get it."

Dawn sighed and began climbing the vehicle with a foot on the tire, not even bothering to argue with the other man.

She stopped midway, unable to push herself to the top.

_Um, a little help here?_

Dawn gave him a look crossed between pleading and annoyance.

Paul grimaced as he realized what he would have to do. Hesitantly and unwillingly, he brought his hands to her… lower area and pushed her up, boosting her to the top.

_Well that was disgusting. At least she's a girl – wait, does that make it worse?_

Paul not-so-discreetly wiped his hands off on his jacket, making a mental note to disinfect them later on. That was way too much of unwanted Dan on him in one day. Speaking of which…

_I wonder what her real name is._

Realizing that he was lost in a pointless train of thought, Paul shook his head to clear it and then glanced up, scolding about her lateness on the tip of his tongue, but was met with another shock instead.

The truck was nowhere to be found.

"_Paul!_"

Paul's head snapped up to the voice and he found the truck – which was moving. Away from the studio…

With Dawn on it.

Paul stood there for a moment as he watched the truck disappear from his sight with the blunette on it. What sort of godly force was causing _this_ to happen? His troubles, being taken away right before his eyes…

_She could get seriously hurt._

Paul cursed at the thought but still didn't move from his spot. Did he _really_ have to save that idiotic, clumsy, faux boy band member who made his skin crawl just by _thinking_ of her?

His life was in danger, and the girl _did_ still have his cell phone…

He broke into a sprint before uttering a string of curses, following after that accursed girl, trying to convince himself that –

_It's for the __**cell phone**__, of course._

&.

Once again, Dawn had fallen into a state of ultimate paralysis.

The top of the truck was _completely_ flat, which meant she had nothing to properly grip with her hands to hold on to. She settled for gripping the edges of the top as firmly as she could with her already sweaty palms, but even then her legs were dangerously hanging off the edge.

Heart hammering in her throat, she let out a cry for help. Twice, thrice – but no one heard over the roar of the engine and the lack of pedestrians among the street at this late in the night. It was an extremely bad situation to be in, one that Dawn supposedly had no hope of escaping.

"How long is this thing going to go!?" she cried in frustration, heart skipping a beat as her hand slipped. With haste, she grabbed back on more tightly.

Funnily enough, the driver said to himself as he was driving, "Ah, this is going to be a fun road trip! All the way to Johto, what a blast!"

_Johto!? Well, he's got to take a break __**somewhere!**_

"Lucky I've got the tank filled, no stops for me!" He merrily chuckled and plugged headphones into his ears, erasing any hope of Dawn getting to capture his attention somehow.

_I'm dead. I'm seriously dead._

It was extremely difficult to hold on now, and Dawn was in tears – frightened and sure that this was her end, she could only cry and hope for a painless death, right?

"_DAN!"_

Her heart stopped for a moment as her ears registered the voice, and she slowly inclined her head up to catch sight of a human figure running towards the truck on the empty street.

"Who… are you?" Dawn uttered, confusion now mixed into her panicky tone, struggling to see them through tear-filled eyes.

"Jump off as soon as he hits the signal_!"_

_What?_ Dawn blinked the tears out of her eyes and focused her vision again on the running stranger.

_Paul!?_

"Paul!" she cried in surprise, eyes shining with a hint of promise.

It appeared he didn't hear her, as he was quite far away and the speed of his legs wasn't stellar in comparision to the vehicle underneath her.

But before Dawn could worry that he hadn't heard her, suddenly everything stopped.

She froze in place, her fingers still tight on the top.

_Is it safe now?_

She cracked open her eyes and found that indeed, the vehicle had stopped at the stoplight. Remembering what Paul had said, she brought herself slowly in a standing position, trembling all the while in fear.

_I can't die yet, I can't die yet, I can't die yet…_

Dawn shook as she stumbled to the edge with wobbling feet, hesitantly looking down. She wasn't quite sure if she could jump from this height…

Unfortunately, her dubious contemplation was put to a stop as the spotlight above turned green with a _ding_, and the driver took his foot off the brakes.

"Dan, just _jump_!"

In the span of just a few seconds – Dawn did as she was told, trusting Paul's voice, bracing herself as she leaped off the truck. The world seemed to slow down around her as Paul somehow managed to finally catch up to her, and she knocked him down with the force.

They laid there for a while in a tangle of limbs, panting and trying to catch their breath and calm their hammering hearts.

_I can't… believe… he saved me. I knew there was more to him than I thought!_

_Shit, I just saved her. This is something I would never do. What's going on?_

Once the adrenaline rush wore off, Paul gave the other girl a pressing look at the position they were in and made it a point to tell Dawn to _get the hell off of him._

Dawn pouted at the hostility but complied, and they both stood to their feet with difficulty, as both had been hurt at the impact.

Dawn opened her mouth to speak, but Paul silenced her as he held up his hand. "Just – no words. Not now. Stay ten feet behind me."

Predictably, Dawn listened, and they trudged on back to the mansion in silence, sweaty, dirty, and in pain.

After a while, Dawn eventually forgot Paul's request – "Thank you so much for saving me, Paul. I owe you one. I hope… this means that you don't really quite hate me as much as you think."

Paul listened to the speech with an intent look in his eyes, and then scoffed, "Don't flatter yourself, Troublesome. It's what anyone would have done."

Dawn pursed her lips in dejection and fell into silence once again.

_Yeah… it's what anyone would have done._

&.

Barry stood behind one of the pillars in the hallway, traumatized expression on his face as he heaved dramatically.

_Was that what I think I just saw?_

Barry blinked and peeked out from behind the pillar, but Dawn and Paul were now gone, nowhere to be found.

_It couldn't be… could it?_

He thought back to the previous events.

_Barry stretched, then slung a towel around his wet neck. He had just finished up with his shower, and was feeling rather thirsty. "Say, Gary, I'm gonna go down and get something to drink. Want anything?"_

_Gary stood, leaning against the walls outside with an almost blank expression on his face. "I'm fine."_

_His eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "You alright, man?"_

_When Gary didn't reply, the blond just shrugged and figured Gary was just tired or something. He left to go down a flight of stairs where he knew the vending machine rooms were._

_On the way, he passed the main hallway and stopped in his tracks when he found Paul and Dan next to the main doorways. It seemed they were having some sort of important conversation, judging by the intense expressions. What was going on?_

_Barry decided to listen in and hid quietly as he observed the scene._

_Paul's gaze dramatically sharpened from across Dan. "We're done."_

_And with that, Paul began to walk, leaving Dan alone, rejected, in the middle of the hallway. He was too shocked to move, but once the reality of the situation sunk in, he begin running after him, ahead of him._

_He stood in front of the doors, blocking him. "Please, just listen to me! I can explain, Paul!"_

_Paul stopped in front of him, eyes flaring with anger. "Move."_

"_Don't leave like this!"_

_Barry's eyes widened. They could __**not**__ be talking about what he thought they were talking about! Could they? It couldn't be! It had to be some convenient misunderstanding!_

_Unfortunately, he didn't get to hear the rest as he heard the footsteps of people behind him. Whirling around, he found some of the leftover dance practice members wandering towards the vending machine room – towards Paul and Dan._

"_Hey, mate!" Barry grinned widely and laughed nervously, slinging his arms around the necks of the two guys. "What are you all doing here?"_

_One of them shrugged him off and stared strangely. "Getting a drink, like we always do."_

_Barry grimaced. He couldn't let them interrupt what was going on over there. "Say, drinks on me this time! Go on back upstairs, I think Gary's alone… go give the guy some company!"_

_Barry didn't give them a chance to decline as he pushed them along, assuring them he had enough money to buy drinks._

_He sighed in relief, and turned back to the scene, but once again face contorting at the sight – Paul was running after Dan!_

Rethinking the events only made Barry more confused. That couldn't possibly be true, right? Right?

He reached upstairs with drinks in his hand, passing two to the guys from before and walking up to Gary, who still seemed somewhat out of it.

"Hey, Gary… do you think Paul might… like, be…erm…'close' with Dan, now?" Barry questioned, making it a point to use air quotes around the word "close."

Gary stared at him for a moment, but then laughed. "Looks like you and your overactive imagination are in play again."

Barry frowned indignantly. "I do _not_ have an overactive imagination! I swear, I just saw them…"

"Saw them what?" Gary asked curiously.

Barry pursed his lips. For some reason, he didn't have a good feeling about telling Gary. "Never mind."

_None of us play for the other team, anyway. I think._

&.

Finally having reached the mansion, Dawn heaved a sigh of relief.

"I'm really sorry about everything, and… I hope you can put it past us this time." Dawn gave a small bow before Paul as they stood in front of the gates.

Paul merely gave her a flat look. "Getting rid of my phone doesn't mean I'm letting this slide."

Dawn frowned at the jibe. Indeed, she had broken his phone in the fall – but he had come to save her, hadn't he? Didn't that mean he cared? Or was he angry with himself for caring in the first place?

"What… do you mean?" she dared to ask.

Paul simply sneered. "Now that I know, I'm trusting that you'll go to President Pewter and clear his matter up with him yourself before I have to."

Dawn was taken aback, but once she met that ice-cold gaze of his, she realized she had no other choice. Eyes downcast, she managed to dejectedly mutter, "I'm sorry. I understand. I'll… leave."

The gates opened, and they entered inside.

&.

Paul didn't have an appetite.

He had been gotten back to the hotel for over an hour now, but his head was still plagued with thoughts of Dan.

He reached for the remote on the living room table in front of him to turn on the television, hoping for a distraction. The screen came to life and he cycled through the channels, but even then he could not stop thinking about the previous events.

Why had he done that?

Why had Paul gone out of his way to risk his own life to save that guy – that _girl_?

He tried to tell himself it was out of pity, and because of the cell phone – but even he wasn't a fool enough to be oblivious to his own feelings. He had cared about her getting hurt, didn't he? How could he feel like that when he hated that girl so much?

She was a nuisance. She caused trouble everywhere she went, and she was so ridiculously _innocent_. A girl like her could have never possibly experienced true pain like he had. All the reasons to not care aside – he _had_ cared, and he didn't like it.

He had never liked caring.

&.

Dawn cautiously slid the glass door to the patio open. It was quite late night after the Paul incident and having dinner, and she _should_ have been in bed. However, right as she began to settle in Barry had come into her room, informing her reluctantly that Gary was waiting for her outside.

She spotted Gary at one of the tables, and made her way over with a smile. "Do you need anything, Gary?"

The brunette smiled warmly and said, "You should get treatment whenever you get hurt. Sit down." He patted the seat next to him.

Dawn self-consciously looked at the injuries she had sustained during the fall earlier with Paul. How had Gary noticed?

"I don't bite," he laughed, noticing her hesitation.

Dawn laughed nervously and sat down beside him. "I was just thinking."

"Your hand?" Gary asked, holding out his own hand. Dawn hesitantly and slowly extended her palm, and when Gary took it in his, his expression lightened and Dawn flushed with embarrassment.

"You have cuts trailing all around here," the brunette noted with a small frown.

Dawn just nodded, not wanting to tell him why they were there. When Gary didn't ask, she smiled gratefully and allowed him to freely tend to her injuries without her freezing up every so often.

"You look bored," he said in the middle of spreading Neosporin on an open cut.

"Oh, nothing like that… I'm probably just tired," Dawn said, faking a yawn as best as she could. Truth was she _was_ actually bored, but Gary was so nice to her that she couldn't let him know _that._

"Want a bedtime story?" Gary grinned up at her.

"A… bedtime story?" Dawn repeated, attention now completely captured from the silliness of the question.

When Gary simply nodded seriously, Dawn couldn't hold back and she laughed, amused by the other boy's antics. "Sure, why not? Go ahead."

"Here goes." Gary shifted so that he was facing her, but continued his work by carefully wrapping gauze around a scrape on one of Dawn's arms. "A long time ago, there was a boy who fell in love with his neighbor."

Dawn nodded, but eyebrows furrowing curiously at the mention of "love." It wasn't truly a familiar concept to her, but that made it all the more interesting.

He continued, "She had just newly moved in, and she was the buzz of the entire, town. However...well... this boy soon found out that... his best friend was in love with the same girl."

The pause he took this time was longer than usual, and Dawn looked up to see that Gary's face had darkened considerably and an invisible force seemed to be holding him back. She didn't understand what was going on, but she knew he wasn't feeling alright.

"Hey, Gary? You don't have to tell me about this if you don't want to."

Gary was a bit surprised at Dawn's perceptiveness, but kept his reaction under control while continuing with his task. "No, I want to tell you."

Dawn nodded very lightly, biting her lip at the ominous feeling she got from him.

And Gary kept going. "One day, this boy confronted the girl, and asked her if she liked him or his best friend. The girl answered she liked his best friend, and that she didn't like him because he was selfish and arrogant."

He looked as if he was an internal struggle now, and Dawn was confused.

_What's the matter?_

Gary inhaled deeply and forced himself to continue. "And then, thoroughly broken, the boy didn't talk to the girl ever again. He never liked any girls after that, because of his first love's words constantly circling in his head. It was a dark time for him."

Dawn pouted appropriately and shifted her legs as a distraction from the worsening somber feeling. What kind of bedtime story was this?

"But eventually, he realized she was right and sought to change himself, little by little. He... got better, so to speak. He forgot the girl, but she wasn't important anymore. He realized that he'll get his chance again, someday."

Now, the intense aura had lifted considerably, and Gary seemed as if he could breathe again and smiled without any constraints that time.

"I... I um, liked it," Dawn laughed nervously, her hand rubbing the back of her neck. She really did like it, but it seemed a bit out of the blue. Random, too. Why did he tell her?

On cue - "Oh, by the way, that story?" Gary said.

"Yeah?" Dawn asked, raising her eyebrows.

Gary leaned in closer, ignoring the flinch from Dawn, and then whispered in her ear, "That was mine."

Dawn's eyes widened as she turned to him in disbelief. "No way!"

"I wouldn't lie," said Gary with a laugh.

It would have been obvious to anyone from the start – but Dawn was a different case, and for that, Gary kept laughing. The girl amused him to no end.

"I feel so… trusted," Dawn commented, chuckling merrily at the warm feeling she was suddenly getting.

Gary's ears perked at the remark. "You should, because you are. We're closer now, right?"

Dawn smiled. "Right."

With the promise of friendship hanging in the air, they both parted with goodbyes and goodnights and wished each other the sweetest of dreams.

Gary felt happy, Dawn felt guilty – she wouldn't be here long enough for that friendship to get a chance to grow.

&.

Barry stood outside, observing Gary and Dan with a watchful eye. He probably should not have been eavesdropping this much in one day – but this was a serious situation, here? Just what was that Dan guy up to?

Not only does he manage to be in cahoots somehow with _Paul_, but now he's getting to Gary, too?

_Something isn't right with him…_

Barry frowned, and shut the window from which he was viewing the duo. He was getting to the both of them! Gary he could understand, but _Paul_?

He sighed and brought his fingers to his temples. Something wasn't right here, and it was going to be the bane of his existence trying to figure out what exactly it was.

"Um… Barry?"

Barry was jolted out of his stupor as he was suddenly face to face with Dawn, who held an apple imploringly in front of his face. "You left this on the table…"

Barry's eyes widened in terror.

_No! He's trying to get to me, too!_

His imagination worked into overdrive and Dawn's innocent action of stepping forward to offer the fruit suddenly became her leaning in seductively with a coy smirk upon her lips.

"Don't you want it?" she asked. The question became a suggestive remark in his mind, and Barry had to swallow to calm the thoughts that came with it.

"You can keep it!" Barry burst out, pushing her and the god forsaken apple away.

"Oh, really?" Dawn paused, looking down at the apple and smiling. "Thanks, I guess!"

Barry just shuddered and made a strange strangled noise before pushing past her and murmuring something about needing to go to bed.

_I swear to god I'm into girls!_

&.

A woman in her mid thirties walked among the busy streets of Eterna in the morning with purpose in her eyes and an important-looking envelope clutched in her hands. She enamated the image of a classy business woman in her pencil skirt and crisp sweater west, which was exactly what she was aiming for.

She brushed away frizzy locks of blue and pulled down her sweater in attempt to look neater, and then promptly stumbled over on her shiny three-inch heels.

_Knew I shouldn't have worn these monstrosities…_

Her businesswoman image now tainted slightly, she finally stopped in front of the mansion that was her destination. She was here to see none other than the famous _Archangels._

Why?

Well, wouldn't you like to know.

The woman had a smug look on her face as she strode in through the gates, beginning the walk to the front doors.

_To think I'm related to –_

The woman's thoughts froze in place as suddenly she ran into something that felt like a brick wall. Closer inspection proved that it was a blue brick wall. She backed up, and she realized it was the blue uniform of security guards.

"Ma'am, please step aside. You will be allowed to see the members once they come out themselves."

The woman's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Excuse me? Do you know who I am?"

She was met with flat looks and cricket chirps.

She huffed, but continued, "I'll have you know I'm Connie Berlitz!"

The placid looks persisted, but this time they were just incredulous. What was this woman's point?

"And?" one of the guards questioned.

"_And_ that means I'm the aunt of the newest member, Dan Berlitz! I need to speak to him, so please let me in immediately!"

She attempted to push past them now that she had explained, but they did not budge. "No matter who you are, you have to wait like the rest of them." They obviously didn't believe her little story, and the reason became apparent after what he did next.

The guard pointed to a now apparent line of teenage girls, who bordered the entire pathway leading to the mansion.

A girl with shoulder-length red hair glanced up irritably, huffing in disbelief, "His aunt? Now there's one I haven't heard before."

Connie sighed dejectedly and retreated to sit amongst the fangirls, not believing that she had been reduced to this status. She was a thirty five year old woman with something important to say, dammit, not some idiotic fangirl who skipped school just to catch a glimpse of some band guy!

"I can't believe they're treating me like this," she muttered to herself, fanning herself with the red envelope.

The red-haired girl caught this and sighed. "Join the club."

"But I really am his aunt!" Connie insisted, holding up the envelope for added effect.

The redhead looked questioningly. "What's in there?"

Glad that she asked, Connie smiled surely and opened the envelope to carefully retrieve a photograph.

It was a picture of twins – a boy and a girl, faces _exactly_ the same, and a man resembling them with his arms around them.

"You see now?" Connie just grinned at the flabbergasted look she received.

&.

Paul slipped on the familiar black sunglasses and hat, ready to head out of the hotel for a meal. He had skipped dinner last night because of the unsettling thoughts that had plagued his mind, and he wasn't about to let that happen again. It was weird enough to think that… that girl caused this much of a disturbance in him. Paul was determined to not get involved with her anymore.

Making his way down to the elevators, he stepped inside and pressed the button to the home floor. It stopped along the way, and he went to scoff in annoyance – but it died in his throat at the sight of the woman who entered inside.

"Oh, you're still staying here?" she questioned with a Splenda voice, flashing him a brilliant smile.

And Paul hated that sunshine-happy façade the most. "Don't see why it concerns you, Miss Crush."

The woman chuckled at his response like it was the most amusing thing in the world. "Please, call me Diane! Of course, maybe you prefer _Mom_? It's been a while since you've called me that, though…"

Paul scowled. She had hit a nerve and they both knew it. "That was before I figured out that just giving birth doesn't make you a mother."

The elevator dinged and Paul stepped out, more furious than ever. He didn't dare look back, why should he? It's not like he still cared about that witch.

But a small part of him _did_, and he _hated_ it.

He didn't have a reason to – he doesn't need anyone to remind him all the nights he spent alone, watching his mother on television, longing for her to just _be_ with him. It was as if he still had expectations for her.

_Pathetic. What __**did**__ you expect?_

Paul brought his hands to his temples, massaging them slowly and trying to get rid of the oncoming headache. Headaches were becoming a daily part of his life now, with his mother on on one hand and Dawn on the other. They were both just so… _irritating. Troublesome._ Troublesome was more Dawn, however.

As if on cue to his thoughts, someone bumped into him.

"Watch it," he growled automatically.

However, the passerby didn't even spare him a glance and kept running forward, and… that person had the most peculiar bright blue hair.

_It can't be her._

Dawn couldn't be stupid enough to not even wear a disguise when she went out. Could she? She couldn't.

_She could._

He cursed and ran after her.

_Why am I getting déjà vu?_

&.

Dawn panted as she ran, but her energy was barely what she was worrying about. There was only one thing in her mind she was focused on, and that was that she had to find the person who gave her that red envelope.

The envelope had been delivered to her earlier that day – but the lady, Connie, was nowhere to be found. The guard informed her that she'd left to the subway station, and there she was, running for her life.

She didn't know why she was placing so much importance on this – but she knew there was _something_ if someone had a picture of her and Syl - _Dan _as kids, and her father with them no less. She had no memory of it, but didn't that make it all the more obvious that this was a lead she needed to track?

She stumbled into the station, eyes probing for any hint of the trademark blue hair or the red sweater they said she was wearing.

Around, people began to recognize the infamous blue hair.

"Whoa, I think that's Dan!"

"The newest member?"

"He's pretty cute in person!"

Dawn didn't notice, her mind still reeling with the possibility of information on her mother.

_Where is she? I have to find her!_

Suddenly, the hood on her jacket went up and over her head.

Bewildered, she whirled around to find the offender – none other than Paul, of course.

"What are you doing, Troublesome? Are you stupid enough to go out in public without a disguise?" he scolded, handing her sunglasses.

Dawn ignored him and turned around to look again. What was at hand was much more important to her than what Paul could ever be, and knowing that, she continued to ignore him as she jogged down beside the train in search of the woman.

This angered Paul. He came down all the way to save her pathetic ass and _this_ is what he got? No, not on his watch.

"We're leaving," he commanded darkly, grabbing hold of her wrist and dragging her out.

"Leave me alone!" Dawn tried to wrench out of the grip but Paul was admittedly much stronger and refused to let go.

"I said _we're leaving_," he repeated through gritted teeth, wary of all the passerbys recognizing them as members of Archangels.

"I need to stay… there's news on my mother!"

Paul stopped, expression frozen in place. He spun around to face her, thrown off guard. "…What?"

Dawn sighed, the energy from her drained in the run. She really didn't feel like explaining anything, and she was pretty sure she had missed her aunt by now. Resignedly, she waved him off and wrenched her wrist from his grasp, meeting his gaze.

"Where to?"

Paul just stared.

_Mother?_

&.

They stood outside of the hotel by the man-made lake, admittedly a beautiful scene against the pale blue sky as its backdrop. They were out here because Paul refused to let her into his room - he did not need any more rumours circulating around after what happened last time with the girl.

"I need to tell you something important." Dawn faced him with that familiar ever-determined look in his eyes that Paul had learned to _hate_ at this point.

His eyes flickered over to her to show that he was listening.

She hesitated as if gathering her thoughts, but finally defiantly said, "Up until this point… I felt like I was forced to stay here, against my will. Honestly, I was, but now I realize that I have a purpose. My… my brother… was looking for my mother, and now I realize that I need to find her, too. For us. I can't leave."

There was a moment of silence, and Dawn was almost afraid that Paul hadn't listened. "I have something to show you," she added.

Dawn elevated her hand to eye level and on her finger glinted a silver ring. She slipped it off and held it in front of his face, enjoying his slightly puzzled expression. "This is my mother's ring. I truly and earnestly believe that I can find her if I keep at my brother's dream. He followed in her footsteps and I can't throw away this chance for him. So, I'd like you to keep this as a token of my trust."

Paul finally seemed to have gathered his thoughts and looked up with a colder than usual look. "You really think just by staying you'll magically find your mother and things will be happy again?"

Dawn ignored the last jibe and responded, "I believe I can find her."

She dropped the ring in his palm and closed his fingers around it, giving him meaningful look. She hoped this would work – even Paul could at least try and understand how important family was to her, right?

Apparently, he couldn't. "This is your mother." He brought the ring to eye level. "And you won't find her." In a fit of anger and haste, he reached his arm back and swung the hand with the ring in it.

Dawn's face contorted into one of angry shock once what he had done registered in her mind, and she did something Paul didn't expect - she punched him in the jaw.

"I _told_ you how important that was to me!" she yelled, using every fiber of her being to hold back the angry tears threatening to spill out.

Paul recovered and didn't seem fazed by the punch at all. If anything, he was expressionless. "You won't find it."

"I will," Dawn said, and she turned around before Paul could even try to respond.

He looked after her, expressionless face turning slightly cold. "You won't," he whispered.

He returned to his hotel room and tried to distract himself. He searched around for his personal notebook and flipped through the pages and attempted to compose a couple of tunes. All of them turned out to be too dramatic or somber and he threw the book down in frustration. He continued the rest of the day with pointless activities, mind obviously somewhere else the entire time.

He thought of her. She couldn't still be out there…

Wanting to see for himself, he jogged back outside to the lake quietly, careful not to let her see. Peeking out from the behind a tree, he found her there - sopping wet and cold but still determined as she waded her way throughout the lake, occasionally clambering to the deeper parts and tripping.

_It's not like she can be there all night…_

Paul left with that thought in mind, trying to be convinced, but even he couldn't deny the foreshadowing feeling he got at it.

&.

Ash stepped inside in a brand new room at the Archangels mansion and smiled somewhat stupidly. _Damn_, they were rich as hell. Why didn't he just live here in the first place? Goodbye apartment rent, hello beautiful mansion!

"Your room, sir," Barry said flatly as he dropped the raven-haired man's suitcases in the room.

"Pretty nice house you got here," Ash commented, immediately taking to examining the room excitedly like a child.

"Remind me why you're here again," Gary said from the doorway in exasperation, arms crossed over his chest.

"Um, because I'm your manager, and I _can_." Ash shrugged and opened up his suitcase, packing his things away in the drawers to settle in.

The other two just shook their heads at him, wondering how such a an immature man could be their manager. What had they been _thinking_ when they had allowed him the job?

"I blame you," Barry said discreetly to Gary, who somehow seemed to know that they were thinking of the same thing.

Gary ignored the comment, and Barry huffed and left in response. Seeming to contemplate something, Gary walked up towards Ash with a hesitant look on his face.

_Should I really bring it up… after all this time?_

Ash silently hummed while organizing his possessions, ever oblivious and too immersed in his own thoughts to notice Gary's intense gaze. He had agreed to move in for Dawn's sake – he was the next best thing after Misty, after all. Not only that, but Dawn had told him the situation with Paul – and he was determined to talk to Paul and smooth things over as soon as possible. He just hoped Dawn wouldn't do something reckless like coming clean to Brock in her fear of Paul.

"Hey, Ash… I wanted to talk to you about something." Gary kept his gaze steady and his voice nonchalant, but it seemed to capture Ash's attention anyway.

"Yeah?"

"Whatever happened to that girl… you know, from back then?"

Ash's face morphed into one of confusion, but quickly back as he realized what he was talking about. "Oh, Leaf? It's been forever since I've seen her."

Now it was Gary's turn to be confused. "Weren't you two going out?"

"What?" Ash suddenly started laughing. "That's ridiculous, I never really liked her _that_ much. Well, I did, but that was only because I thought she was pretty." He chuckled on like it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. "Why are you asking now?"

"No reason…" Gary shifted his gaze elsewhere and desperately tried to think of a change of topic.

For once, Ash was too fast for him and the boy immediately asked, "You like her still?"

"Not her," Gary responded without missing a beat. The response was indignant but calm, and Ash could tell that his childhood friend was telling the truth.

But yet again, Ash was on some kind of an intellectual roll and he immediately picked up on Gary's statement.

_Not…__**her**__? So someone else?_

"You like someone, don't you?"

Gary noticeably reddened but pretended to look annoyed. "As if it's your business."

"You totally do! Is she a celebrity? Damn, please break up with her. I am _not_ doing damage control again!" Ash shuddered, remembering the last time one of the band members ended up going out with a celebrity. Dealing with the press had been one of the most frightening experiences of his life.

Gary kept his mouth shut, much to Ash's dismay.

"Oh, come on? At least… you _do_ like _someone_, right?" Ash tried.

"Maybe," Gary replied hesitantly, hand positioned thoughtfully on his chin. "I think that's what it is…"

"_Tell me!_"

"No."

"But I'm your best friend!"

"No."

"But–"

"_No._"

&.

Paul awoke groggily at the sound of his alarm clock. He had barely gotten any sleep last night for some stupid reason, and this would only multiply his already snappy attitude tenfold.

Sitting up, he noticed something glinting in the sunlight on the bedside table. Squinting and reaching forward, he picked it up.

The silver ring.

He had had it all along.

Undeniably he felt the tiniest pang of guilt, but shrugged it off as he got up to get dressed.

_It's not like she can still be out there._

With that thought in mind, he took haste in getting dressed before grabbing the ring and running outside back towards the lake. He had done it to teach her an obvious lesson – sometimes you would _never_ find what you were looking for, no matter how hard you tried. He knew that firsthand – and to see someone as innocent Dawn with such an enormous amount of _faith_, seriously believing she could fix her family just like that - it was so foolish and he couldn't _stand it._

He reached the lake and scanned the area over the railings, a part of him desperately hoping she still wasn't there. That desperate hope sunk as soon as a splash of blue bounded into view, and soon he was faced with an angry and sopping wet Dawn. "What do you want," she demanded to know.

The life in her voice was gone, and even Paul seemed stunned as he stepped back at her bloodshot gaze. "You're not going to find it. Come out already."

Dawn's eyes flashed with an emotion he couldn't recognize, but she replied, "I will." She emerged back in, hands grazing the shore for any signs of the silver band.

Paul sighed in annoyance. He couldn't deal with her if she was going to be like this. "Okay, you proved yourself and made a point. You're strong. Now get out."

When Dawn paid him no heed, he grimaced as he realized he had lost. "I have it, alright!" he outburst, holding up the glinting piece of jewelry in his hand.

Dawn turned around at this, and her face went impassive once she realized. She silently stood up and made her way over to him. She stepped out of the water and hopped over the protective railing and looked at him in the eye.

"I get it. You've got determination, I'll give you that." Paul stopped, looking pained admitting it. "But don't think for a second I'll help –"

"I found it," Dawn breathed. Her eyes locked on the ring and she paid Paul's words no heed as she snatched the ring hastily and held it to her chest.

Paul retreated his empty hand hesitantly, somewhat anxious for her next move. She was obviously _pissed_ – not that he could blame her. What would she do?

She looked up with the same placid look, and – she reached out and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"I found it," she repeated, voice brimming with hope this time. "This means you have to trust me."

Paul's eyes widened in shock before he uncomfortably squirmed, and he brought his hands to her arms to try and pry her off. When she didn't withdraw, he pulled his hood over his head and kept his arms at his sides. "Get off. There are people here."

He said the words with annoyance, but the bubbling feeling of guilt in his gut got worse – he had done something horrible, but something that this innocent girl had perceived as something to be grateful for her. He felt like he was… cheating her. The fact that he felt guilty about her made her hate him even more, and that made him feel guilty - it was an awful endless cycle.

Dawn held on gratefully anyway, and when she let go and faced him he found that the life had flooded back into her face.

"Thank you."

Those words had an effect on him, and he didn't like it at all.

&.

"Alright, everyone, big news!"

Brock burst into the recording studio at the agency building, greeting his four favorite band members with an enthusiastic smile and a thumbs-up.

Barry seemed to be arguing with Gary over their sheet music, while Paul was glaring at them both, able to hear their noise even with his headphones on. Dawn stood silently in a corner, dusting up her rusty keyboard skills.

Dawn could now rest at ease with the Paul issue resolved, but now she had the actual façade she was putting on to worry about. She had never been too musically inclined, and now she had to put in double the effort to make up for it. She would've given up a long time ago if it wasn't for that picture. Now, she didn't have a choice. She had something to strive for.

"So, you guys ready!?" Brock cheered and successfully managed to rile up Barry (which admittedly wasn't that hard).

_Ready for what?_

Dawn stood with a lost look on her face, having missed everything Brock said while being absorbed in her own thoughts. Paul noticed and couldn't repress an amused sneer (however he did that.)

Paul took malicious pleasure in stalking up to her in a foreboding way, stopping in front of her inches away with a tense aura. "He just said to get ready for the _swimming pool_ photoshoot, Troublesome."

&.

"Oh, so we can keep out clothes on!?"

"…Yes, you can keep your clothes on."

Once the four arrived at the photo-shoot and it was revealed that it was going to be a fully clothed one, Paul was the one left sulking in defeat while Dawn bounded around happily, spirits renewed.

They were each ordered to emerge themselves in the water with an expression of "utter relaxation" and swim upwards with grace. It ended smoothly for the most of them, but Dawn had some difficulty with it and ended up having to repeat her shoot several times.

She was left shivering with a towel on the lounging chairs, with Paul triumphant, Barry still freaked out by her in general, and Gary now approaching her with a warm cup of cocoa.

"Oh, thank you," Dawn said in surprise, accepting the white mug gratefully from the brunette.

"No problem." Gary paused and decided to sit down beside her. She obviously needed some cheering up, and he was the perfect one to do it – him being the only one who actually wanted to. "You know, it's normal to not be perfect the first time."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "I don't see how you can be more imperfect than me, though."

"You would be surprised…"

The two laughed and conversed for more time, with a wary Barry watching from a corner like he always did.

_They're just being friendly. Gary's a nice guy, right? Right. Right. Right._

Gary soon left the girl with her cocoa, telling her he was going to go down to the changing rooms to dry off and get changed. This left her with another worry – Ash and Misty weren't here today. What was she going to do about the whole men's room deal? She was _not_ going in there after last time, that was for sure.

Before she could get much more contemplating done on that, she was distracted by Paul's usual ominous figure walking up to her.

She stood up to approach him, but her footing slipped on the wet floor. Paul stood right in front of her, but he cleverly stepped aside to watch her fall flat on her butt.

"What, did you think I'd catch you?" He gave her a condescending smirk, and Dawn pouted as she stood up, rubbing her now paining behind.

"Can I help you?" she asked, normally bright voice tainted with annoyance.

From anyone else, it would've sounded sarcastic, but somehow Dawn managed to make it sound completely serious. Rolling his eyes, he smirked at her drenched figure. "You know, it really is too bad we didn't do any topless shots. I'm sure you would've _rocked_ those."

Dawn flushed the most peculiar shade of red and immediately felt the need to cross her arms. "Well, there _wasn't_."

Paul, dissatisfied with her response continued haughtily, "But you still need to change. There's not going to be much to see, but I'll look forward to it anyway."

Dawn stood there, shell-shocked at his words. No one had _ever_ spoken to her like that before.

His face was emotionless as he walked away, because it wasn't as if what he told her was _true_ – but lying be damned just to see that girl's priceless reactions. Anyways, the faster she got exposed, the better for him.

Meanwhile, Barry looked on, even more confused now.

_What the bloody hell is going on between those three?_

&.

At first, Paul went about his own business – changing his clothes, drying his hair, styling it and allowing a few friends to talk to him for a bit. He didn't want to seem like he was _anticipating_ anything or something ridiculous like that…

But the cool-demeanored facade aside, he acknowledged he was curious.

Just _where_ was that Dan?

Most of the guys were leaving by now, which only left him and a few others behind in the rooms. Gary had already thought to go look for him – but Barry stopped him for some weird reason, saying that he needed to ask him something.

Was she still up at the swimming pool?

Deciding to test out his hypothesis, Paul slipped on his shoes and quickly made his way upstairs to the swimming pool, the previous set area. He walked in and ignored the inquiring stares of the two other guys there who claimed to be looking for leftover equipment.

"What are you doing up here?"

Paul ignored them and continued walking around the perimeter of the pool, stopping when he encountered a pile of wet clothes on the ground.

_Aren't those from the shoot earlier?_

This information perplexing him, he scanned the room for the blue-headed girl, but she was nowhere to be found. He searched for anything, just a sign of life…

Bubbles rose up to the pool's surface.

_Bubbles?_

He walked to the edge of the pool and looked in, and sure enough, he found Dawn in there, hovering near the bottom, her eyes and nose clenched shut. Realization dawned on him as he quickly glanced again at the other men in the premise, and then back to Dawn's wet clothing. They must have walked in on her in the middle of her changing, and she…

_What an idiot._

Paul leaned forward, slightly hovering above her figure in the pool. She inevitably had to come up, choking and gasping for air - and he wanted to be there to watch it. It had been an entire minute since he was in the room - the girl certainly couldn't last much longer. Right?

Another thirty seconds and even Paul was beginning to grow anxious. The other two men had left, and it was just him and Dawn left behind. She must not have noticed that the men had already left in the depth she was in (had she even thought this through?)… and at the rate she was going, oxygen deprivation was now a serious risk.

_I'm probably going to hate myself for doing this, but..._

Cursing and not bothering to take of his shirt, Paul dove into the water head-first with a splash.

The only thought that ran through Dawn's hazy, oxygen-deprived brain as she distantly recognized the other man's swimming figure grow closer was that –

_I knew I was right about you._


	4. Chapter 4: Resistance is Futile

**The Characters This Far.**

**Dawn Berlitz.** 21. An obedient, innocent girl raised in a church, now pretending to be her twin brother (?) in the famous band, Archangels.

**Dan Berlitz. **21. The newest member of Archangels, currently away for a month getting failed plastic surgery fixed.

**Paul Everett. **24. The lead vocalist and most popular of Archangels, he's got a seemingly cold-hearted and dark personality. He dislikes Dawn with a passion, and he knows her secret.

**Gary Oak. **22. The sweet, romantic guitarist of Archangels. He likes Dawn and knows her secret.

**Barry Hunter.** 22. The bright-spirited, bubbly drummer of Archangels. He is uncomfortable around Dawn and believes "he" is in cahoots with the rest of the band.

**Ash Ketchum. **24. The manager of Archangels, he's dense but his relentless trustworthiness compensates for it. He's extremely close to the stylist and Gary.

**Misty Waterflower. **23. The stylist and co-manager of Archangels, she has a kind heart behind the fiery temper. She has a huge crush on Ash.

**Brock Pewter.** 27. The president of the Pewter & Co. Agencies. Secretly dating Queen Lucy.

**Drew Hayden. **25. The co-president of the Pewter & Co. Agencies. Smug and a playboy, but has a thing for his assistant. Close with Paul.

**May Maple. **24. The assistant to the managers of the Pewter & Co. Agencies. She's creative and bubbly, a fan of Dan, but an even bigger "fan" of Drew.

**Diane Crush. **42. A famous ex-model and singer, also the mother of Paul Everett. She is not on good terms with her son for unknown reasons.

**Connie Berlitz. **35. The aunt of Dan Berlitz who knows something important about Dawn's mother.

* * *

**Operation Crossdress  
**.x.  
_Chapter Four: Resistance is Futile_

* * *

There was a dull, fuzzy ache in the back of Dawn's head like she was slowly fading out from the world. She knew she was in danger, she knew she had to get out of there - but she couldn't, not yet. If she swam up now, it would be all over. They would find out she was a girl and her brother's life would be ruined and she would never get to see _her_ again, and the thought alone was enough to make her bear it another minute.

But no matter how far she was ready to go mentally, she had physical barriers, ones that no human could transcend. She was fading fast.

There was a burst of sound and Dawn squinted her eyes open with the little strength she had left, gasping in surprise at the sting of chlorine. She couldn't see anything, but the shock set her thoughts into motion.

She felt sense tap into her brain and the thought struck her -

_If I don't get out of here now I'm going to die!_

She swung her arms upward and begin paddling her feet to swim upwards, kicking past something in the process, but that didn't matter - she needed air, she needed air, she needed _air_ -

Dawn burst out of the water and inhaled as much as she could, coughing and spluttering afterwards.

_The things I do..._

With the little strength she had left, Dawn waded her way to the side wall of the pool and heaved herself up with some difficulty. She quickly stripped off her wet clothes and threw on the other dry clothes as quick as she could, then only after all that did she sigh in relief.

_Thank god. I could have seriously died back there._

She shook her damp head once and turned to leave, but walked albeit slowly. Something had been bothering her at the back of her mind, a question itching to be asked...

_What was that noise in the water?_

Dawn froze in her tracks and _carefully_ turned around to face the pool (the pool incident didn't have to make a repeat) with a sudden terrified look on her face.

The answer came to her like bubbles that rose and _popped_ at the surface.

Literally.

_Paul!_

&.

There were sirens wailing in the background as a stretcher was hurriedly being wheeled to an ambulance outside the photoshoot studios. A crowd of people rushed along worriedly with the stretcher, emitting a slight aura of panic at the sight of one Archangels band leader unconcious.

Among them, Dawn was one. "Oh no, oh no, oh no..." she muttered.

She had _really _done it this time. He had _saved_ her, for what - the third time? And in response she kicked him away and left him to drown while she indulged her own selfish needs to survive?

She shook back the wet bangs falling into her eyes and kept her hands firmly wrapped around Paul's as he lay unconscious in the bed. She had to stay by his side until he got better.

"Man, what happened?" Gary asked beside Dawn, eyes filled with a kind of suspicion and worry.

"I... He..." Dawn struggled to think of a lie on the spot, obviously she couldn't tell the truth - but all coherent thoughts were failing her.

Gary didn't take this well, seen by the suddenly darkened expression - was it so bad that she couldn't talk about it? Just what was happening between those two? He stepped back, perturbed.

He was forced to subside as the media begin pouring into the scene with cameras on what seemed like permanent flash mode. Even Barry backed away, but Dawn seemed not to care and kept her hands firmly over his. The paparazzi buzzed with excitement.

"What happened!"

"Is he dead?"

"Oh, I _totally_ knew he couldn't swim."

Paul's eyes slowly squinted open at the statement.

_I am perfectly capable of swimming, just not when an idiotic freak decides to kick me in the face while I try to rescue her._

"Paul?" Dawn cried out hopefully, grip on his hand tightening.

Paul recognized the voice and immediately felt the utter hate and annoyance bubbling up inside of him, ready to burst - but alas, his condition prevented him from doing so.

He brought his hand up, tantalizingly slowly, and the cameras began to flash and click madly once they realized he was reaching towards Dawn's.

"Dan... I..." Paul's voice was throaty and hoarse, which only added to the dramatic effect.

"Yes?" Dawn bit her lip at the anticipation.

His hand rested on hers for the briefest second - and then he flung her hand off of his, the dark look in his eyes finally evident. "Hate... you..."

The last part had been barely above a whisper, so it wasn't caught - but nonetheless had its comedic effect when Paul lost consciousness again as they wheeled him into the ambulance.

"I don't get it," a reporter mused besides Dawn.

_Believe me, I haven't the slightest clue either._

&.

Misty really wasn't sure how she ended up having a career as a stylist.

The reflection in the mirror that greeted her was not stellar. The unruly, ginger hair stuck out particularly.

Not someone you'd think would have the slightest knowledge about beautifying.

She sighed with this thought in mind and turned away from her dresser, deciding to collapse onto her bed instead. The reason why she got the job was Ash, of course. They had been best friends as kids, and as soon as Ash had gotten the job as manager for his friends' band, he had immediately personally recommended one Misty Waterflower as the official stylist. Ash did.

Ugh, _Ash._

_Why does it always come to him?_

It _really_ wasn't her forte - really more of her sisters' kind of thing, to be honest. Which made her wonder - why didn't Ash ask one of them? Surely they could do a better job. Misty had improved much since she had begun her job, but was sure her sisters could top her any day. A famous band such as Archangels deserved the best - so what was stopping him?

This was the question it all came down to for Misty.

She just wanted to know if after all these years, these long, tantalizingly slow years spent by his side, that maybe he -

"Ugh!"

She punched her pillow.

_Why do you make me like_ _this!?_

Her cellphone buzzed mockingly.

"This had better be good," she growled as she reached for the device.

.-.

**To: Misty  
****From: Ash**

take a look.

[image.005]

_Open image?_

_Yes/No_

.-.

Misty rolled her eyes at first, but another thought hit her - it wasn't like Ash to sound so serious in his texts. So, she obliged.

_**Yes**/No_

A true sight greeted her on that screen.

&.

Acting.

It was an art - an art that one had to learn to fine tune and perfect over time. It wasn't a skill that many were gifted with, but one that some had in abundance, the the point where it could easily be abused.

And Ursula?

Well, she was born with it.

A beautiful woman with long tresses of pink hair sat at the side of a hospital bed as she comforted a cancer patient with tears in her eyes and her slender, pale fingers resting on the patient's. The press hovered over them, cameras all set on catching the snowflake tears falling from her gem-like eyes.

"I'm so sorry." Ursula took a deep breath and looked away, as if to hide the oncoming tears.

Male reporters melted and female's eyes flared with the slightest hint of hostility. Did this woman's beauty have no ends?

Bidding the patient a tearful farewell, she stalked out of the room in sobs, face hidden with her hands.

Her manager gave her a concerned look. "Do you want to finish the interview?"

Keeping her face hidden, Ursula replied from under, "No. Please tell them I am too sad to continue."

She continued her walk outside of the hospital, face still hidden by her hands and hunched over. She reached the side of the building near the parking lots, a vacant area with little to none bystanders and complete privacy.

She stood straight, flipped her hair back and smiled, brushing away tears as if they were mere specks of dirt on her lovely Snow White skin.

With a confident smirk plastered upon her face, she strut to a large white van in the front of the parking lot which she identified as her team's automobile.

"Ugh, what a day."

Ursula plopped into the front seat of the car, immediately making herself at home as she unfolded the mirror above and dabbed at her eyes with tissues.

"I mean, really!" she continued indignantly. "How long can they expect me to cry?" She frowned at the dark marks under her eyes. So much for waterproof mascara. She'd have to have a talk with the manager of _that_ company.

"Hopefully whatever she had wasn't contagious," Ursula added as an afterthought, then nearly shuddering. She had no idea what she would do without her gorgeous, silky locks of baby pink. Call her shallow but - let's face it, for a model like her - looks were _everything_.

She reached for another tissue and wiped away all the smeared mascara. Satisfied on a job well done, she tossed the tissue on the floor, then frowning. "Hey, why haven't you said anything?!"

She whirled around angrily to face her -

Manager?

There was a man with a sneer and the most peculiar stony eyes staring back at her. "Can I help you?"

She winced in embarrassment before quickly recovering and flashing the other man a cute, sheepish, yet utterly _fake_ little smile. "Oops! Wrong van..."

"Hn." He kept his arms crossed and eyes directed elsewhere as if her mere presence was bothering him.

Her eyes flared with annoyance at the hostility, but she forced herself to calm down and reclaimed the cheery facade as she begin, "You look rather familiar. Archangels, right?"

He nodded.

"Right, you're Paul!" Ursula's eyes brightened as she continued, "And you probably already know me, right?"

Paul just snorted. "I definitely _know_ you. Do me a favor and drop the act, Fake Fairy."

Ursula rolled her eyes but realized there was no way around this guy. Flipping her hair over her shoulders (surely a trademark move by now), she complied and fixated her normal placid glare at him. "True, with my title of 'Sinnoh's Fairy' and all. No point in hiding it now, right?"

He didn't respond.

She glared and huffed before reaching for the door handle.

"Where do you think you're going?"

She froze with a confused look on her face, then whirled back around to face Paul in the backseat once more.

_Why did he call me back? Does...oh?_

"Are you a fan?" She smirked and planted a hand on her hip. "Sorry, but -"

Paul rose a hand to stop her. "I didn't say any of that. Pick up your trash."

"My... trash?"

In response, Paul jutted a thumb in direction of the carpeted floor, where one lone mascara-stained tissue lay.

Gritting her teeth, she obeyed and reached for the tissue, stepping back out of the car with steam blowing out of her ears.

She went to close the door, but then - "Oh, yeah. Leave the door open. Your perfume is giving me a headache."

It took her a lot of self control to leave the car door open and walk off without giving herself away.

Ursula spared a glance behind and her frown grew deeper. It's not like she could give in to an asshole like him. How _dare_ he speak that way to a lady such as her; who did he think he was?

Infuriated, she stormed past the man who had unknowingly seen her depart from the van.

The man, who was a reporter, gazed awe-strickenly back and forth from the pink-haired model to the van in the hospital parking lot. This man, running a hand through long wavy locks of purple, murmured to himself with curiosity, "Now why would Ursula be coming out of the Archangels' van?"

This man kept the thought in mind and made a mental note to look into it later. At the moment, he could feel Paul's glare burning a hole through the windows aimed directly at him, and therefore decided to make a hasty retreat.

Paul, who was inside, frankly looked like an disoriented child, an angry pout on his face and arms crossed defiantly against his chest.

He had stayed at the hospital overnight for recovery, and upon awakening immediately insisted he be discharged and allowed to return to the peace of his home, but unfortunately was cornered by Drew and Ash early on.

"Dude," Drew had reasoned. "Dan saved your friggin' life! Everyone loves him now! Which, he wasn't before, because of _you_. The least you could do is fake sick for the guy for another week or so."

"A week?" Paul repeated incredulously. "Like hell! Sh- He didn't save my _life_."

Ash's eyes widened at the statement and he immediately jumped beside Paul to cover for him. "Of course he did! You're just in denial."

Paul turned to glare at him, but Ash only gave him a knowing, pressed look, and Paul was forced to drop the subject. He couldn't tell the truth about what happened - that it was _him_ who saved _Dawn_(at least, he had tried, but...), not the other way around. This idiotic crossdressing situation was causing a lot more trouble then he thought it would.

But since he was _Paul_, he at least got his way with the hospital and was now discharged with the condition that he would get to be driven by someone else.

The girl was going to be the death of him.

He hoped she was freaking _happy_.

On second thought, no he didn't.

&.

Dawn was out on the veranda again, decked out comfortable in a navy blue hoodie and black basketball shorts. It was a beautiful day - she managed to win approval of the fans, she "saved" Paul, and someone around here actually liked her - Gary!

Life was good. Well, Dawn mused, it would be better if Paul was there. She felt guilty enough about yesterday's incident, but...

Ah, she could take care of that later.

Swinging her legs back and forth on a patio chair, she contentedly sucked on a lollipop, eyes gently closed as she enjoyed the cool breeze blowing over her.

All that was interrupted when - "_You!_"

Dawn jumped violently in the chair, losing the grip on her lollipop.

_Noooooo!_

She pouted in frustration at the soiled lollipop, and then as an afterthought looked up to see the voice. "Barry?"

"Don't _Barry?_ me!" Barry said with sass, walking up to her with garden hose in hand and defiant glare in place.

"Would you like me to call you something else?" Dawn asked with an innocent smile.

Barry seemed thrown off. "Wait - what? No! I mean... just... look, tell me the truth about last night!"

"Last night?" Dawn repeated, eyebrows furrowing as she frowned.

_I'm getting a serious sense of deja vu..._

"Yes, last night. I want to know _the truth_," Barry insisted, the hand not holding the garden hose planted on his hip.

Barry wasn't the brightest - but he knew some things, and he _knew_ Paul could swim. There was something Dan was hiding from him and, well, he was going to find out.

Dawn swallowed nervously. Just what had this pesky blond found out? She wasn't sure how much to reveal. "Um... you mean... between me and... uh, P-Paul?" she tried.

"Exactly." Barry nodded in approval. "And if you don't..." The purpose of the garden hose suddenly became clear as he brought it up to eye level, fingers behind the lever and aimed at Dawn. "I'll shoot."

Dawn _hated_ getting wet. "Don't shoot!" she cried, hands raising to protect her freshly washed hair. (Hair was important - whether it was short _or_ long.)

Barry grinned maliciously.

_I've got him right where I want him._

"Then tell me the truth."

"Um... well..." Dawn bit her lip and fidgeted with her hoodie strings, racking her brain for an excuse. The seconds passed, and she could sense Barry's impatience increasing.

He seemed to snap. "You won't tell me?"

Dawn barely managed a squeak before he pulled the trigger, and in an instant she was under malicious attack of the garden hose.

"Ack! Get it away!"

Dawn attempted to escape, but Barry followed persistently with the hose with water spraying all over her(it really was a sight).

"No! Not until you tell me!"

"Stoooooop!"

"Nevaaaaaaar!"

In the midst of their chase, Barry suddenly found himself noticing strange things.

His amber eyes grew wide as he watched Dawn intently, who was now soaked from head to toe. She shook her head, wet, ultramarine locks plastered to her face, bringing out the depths of her eyes. She was shouting but it was in a playful way and it was just -

_Adorable._

Barry froze.

_Wait. _

He was jolted out of his paralyzed state by getting sprayed in the face with another garden hose. He yelped and fell to the ground, trying to rub the water out of his eyes. "Who- who was that?"

Barry opened his eyes to an amused looking Gary, who held the offending garden hose in hand. "Saw you torturing Dan over there, couldn't miss out on all the fun, could I?" Gary asked, smirk ever present on his face.

"What!?" Barry spluttered.

"Just... both of you, go inside. Including you, Dan," Gary called to the now shivering Dawn.

"O-Ok!" The blunette complied immediately and slid the glass door open and scuttled inside.

"Don't tell me you're on _his _side! Gary, c'mon!" Barry indignantly yelled, dramatically so as he clenched his chest as if it was paining. He was splayed out all over the floor comically, not really helping the situation at all.

"I'm not on anyone's _side_, Barry," Gary said, as if the mere notion was ridiculous. Something twinkled in his eyes as he tossed the hose aside to follow Dawn inside, and Barry didn't like it at all.

Gary walked up to Dawn, who was wringing out her shirt sleeves near the doormat in the kitchen. "Need any help?" he asked.

"Huh?" Dawn turned, startled to see the brunette standing there. "Oh, no, I've got it. Thank you."

Nonetheless, Gary shrugged and reached for a towel from one of the lower cabinets and placing it on her head, helping her dry her hair off.

"Erm... thanks," Dawn said a bit dubiously, thrown off by the friendliness.

But then again, she supposed Gary was just a friendly person.

Barry walked in, dripping with water (and agony from betrayal) and opened his mouth to speak, but all this commotion was interrupted by one figure walking into the room.

Barry forgot whatever he was about to say and ran up to Paul. "Paul! You're back! Everything's OK, right? You'll still be okay for the performance?"

"I'm _fine_," Paul assured his friend, rolling his eyes at the blond's dramatic tendencies. He nodded at Gary, and then his eyes locked onto Dawn.

Dawn meekly looked away. "Are you okay?"

Paul sighed in exasperation. "I'm going to go up to my room."

Dawn opened her mouth to say something, and then shut it again as she begin walking after him.

Paul heard her footsteps and whirled to glare at her, effectively freezing her in place.

"I am _going_ to my _room_," Paul repeated with gritted teeth.

He turned, and Dawn followed him anyway.

Barry just scoffed and walked away, and Gary almost laughed.

He _almost_ laughed, but he didn't feel like laughing - he frowned instead.

_What happened between those two last night?_

Somehow Gary had a feeling something was off, too.

&.

Paul walked inside of his room and shut the door behind him. He dropped his bag in a corner of his room and shrugged off his jacket and placed it neatly on the hanging rack.

It had been a really long day. All he wanted to do was collapse onto his soft bed and sleep for the rest of the day - but being the responsible one of the group, instead he decided that finishing up his latest song would be a much better way to spend the rest of the time. Brock had been pestering him the past couple of days about it. He looked over to his work desk for his notebook, then raising his eyebrows at what he found instead.

There was a tray on it.

A tray with a very familiar cupcake and cup of tea on it.

_I swear to God..._

"If this is your idea of a joke, Troublesome," he muttered, eyes narrowing at the thought. (He knew Dawn was still probably hovering outside of his room.)

He heard a small knock at the door, confirming his suspicions.

He gave a cross grunt, eyes trained on the ceiling as he reluctantly said, "Come in."

The door creaked open and in scuttled Dawn, lips in a thin line as she hesitantly walked up to him.

"What. Is this." Paul pointed one finger to the tray.

"It's... erm... food." Dawn was twiddling with her fingers, and Paul's impatience was growing.

"And you expect me to eat it?"

"Yes!" Dawn nodded professionally. "It's meant to be an apology/gift sort of thing for all of the trouble I've caused you."

"I'm lactose intolerant," said Paul, giving her an utterly flat look.

_Oh..._

Dawn winced at her milk-based food items.

_Good going there, Self. Doomed to be loathed forever._

"I'll just.. take this..." Dawn reached out and _carefully_(ahem, tea incident) grasped the tray and picked it up, dejectedly turning to leave.

"You could've killed me," Paul felt the need to add as she was almost at the door.

Dawn showed no signs of discomfort, but there was something about the way she shut the door that was just a _little_ more edgy than usual.

Paul felt strangely satisfied.

_Wait...what?_

No, he didn't.

He started working.

&.

The next morning, the band all gathered for an intense practice session at the record room in the studios. It was announced officially that they would be performing in the music festival, and could of course, not fall short of all the high expectations set on them and the new addition of Dan.

"Your're off-beat."

The music playing stopped, and Paul turned to aim a glare Dawn's way.

"Um, I'm really sorry. I'm a little rusty because it's... been a while." Dawn was basically used to Paul now and didn't take his insults personally.

Gary gave her an encouraging smile, and she smiled back determinedly. Improvement was on its way.

They started again.

Over the course of practicing, Dawn gradually begin to get the hang of her new keyboard, and they practiced as a group for a couple more times before deciding to call it a day (by Gary, because Paul refused to admit that Dawn had improved so much in that short amount of time).

She plopped herself down on a beanbag in the corner of the room and nodded to herself on a job well done. Reaching into her bag, she fumbled around for a moment and pulled out a water bottle.

The cap refused to come off.

Gary looked up from his guitar and noticed the girl struggling, and moved swiftly to save her from her mini dilemma.

"Thanks..." Dawn said, accepting the water bottle back from him with slight surprise. Well, it was weird to be treated _nice_ around here for a change...

Paul noticed the exchange and just rolled his eyes. "Tch."

Barry, however, wasn't so willing to let it go. He stood up from behind the drum set and marched over to Dawn. "Hmph. Gimme a sip of that." He snatched the bottle and took a long swing before handing it back to her.

Dawn accepted it back nonchalantly, which somehow seemed to anger Barry even _more_ because why didn't that guy ever get _mad_?

The wandering thoughts of the men in the room were interrupted by a loud presence bursting into the room.

"Hey!" Brock walked in, grinning widely with bags in either hand. "I brought ice cream!"

Paul sighed exasperatedly. "In the recording room?"

"It's _his_ room," piped up Misty as she stepped up from behind. "He can do what he _wants_."

Paul briefly glared but didn't reply, as fortunately there was already a mutual hatred established between the two. Fire and ice were never meant to collide.

Brock walked in and and begin setting up at the small table inside when Ash made an appearance, followed by May and Drew.

"Hey, the gang's back!" Ash mused, smirking at their mini assembly in the recording room.

"With ice cream!" May squealed with delight as she popped up from behind Ash.

Something sparkled in May's eyes and the next second she was fighting with Ash over the double chocolate chip ice cream.

"Monsters," Misty commented, a somewhat frightened look in her eyes as she watched her two friends devour their treat with vigor.

"That sums it up quite well," said Drew, merely shaking his head at his dear assistant. It was a wonder that girl didn't put on weight.

"Exactly," Brock said. "You guys should be used to this. We're like family, man."

Most nodded in agreement, but Paul looked mildly disgusted.

"Yeah, let's just start eating," Drew said.

There no objections to this, and everyone complied and settled down to dig into their respective ice creams.

Dawn, foreign to this established group of friends only stared curiously at their banter. Ash and Misty begin one of their infamous debates, decidedly overseen thoughtfully by Judge Gary, while May, Drew and Brock discussed something else that was making May blush a fiery red. Shrugging, Dawn finally turned her gaze to Paul.

Paul sat quietly, but gave signs that he was listening at least half-heartedly.

"So... whatcha doing?" May asked, leaning back as she glanced over at Barry. She had finished her ice cream already (and was banned from eating any more) so she was stuck lazing around watching everyone eat theirs.

"Just watching Ursula's latest interview," Barry replied with a tablet in his hands, voice muffled by the plastic spoon in his mouth. "She's _so_ friggin' pretty."

"Forreal, though!" Misty agreed unabashedly. "I hate to admit it, but her perfection has no bounds."

"Okay, she's not even _that_ pretty," Ash felt the need to point out, the slightest hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Yes she is!" Brock hastily defended.

"You think anything with a face and two X chromosomes is attractive!"

"Take that back!"

That branched into a separate argument, and Barry just shrugged and moved back to the tablet screen. Seemingly as he watched, a thought struck him and he warily elevated his gaze to Gary, who was sitting across from him.

"Hey Gary, what do you think of her?"

"Huh?"

Gary, who was immersed in his own thoughts for a while, was snapped out of his trance. He looked down at the ice cream (which, cutely enough, he was sharing with Dawn because they both happened to like butterscotch) and then to Barry.

"Ursula. What do you think of her?" Barry asked, obviously trying to seem nonchalant but failing by the way his widened eyes burned holes through Gary's.

"Uh... she's okay?" Gary said doubtfully, not quite sure what his blond friend's ulterior motive was for the question.

Barry gasped, apparently appalled. "What!? What do you mean, _okay_!? She's the hottest singer/model/everything!" he insisted.

Gary just shrugged. "Not my type, man."

Barry froze as he caught onto this statement.

_Not my type... he can't mean... No! Stop it, Barry! I'm sure he just likes different types of girls. Right._

However, Barry still wasn't comforted. "Paul, what about you?"

Paul looked up from swirling his spoon distastefully around his plain, half-melted vanilla ice cream. "Ursula?"

"Yeah." Barry nodded.

"Don't like her," Paul replied without missing a beat.

"But why!?" Barry pouted at his friend.

Drew cut in, "You forgot this is Paul the Ice Cube, Barry."

"Homosexual," Ash coughed.

Paul looked up, not even miffed by the comment. "Just because I don't like women with the most feminine measurements and fairest hair doesn't mean _anything_. I have personality, and it's not shallow," he said dryly.

Drew didn't seem convinced. "Take out 'personality' and you're golden."

"Whatever, you guys are just weird. Unlike you, I _like_ pretty girls." Barry paused unsurely. "_Girls._ With _long hair_. And women things."

_Paul's always been reclusive anyway. This doesn't mean anything._

Still, Barry was not appeased. He decided to try it out on one last person.

"Dan... what do _you_ think?" he asked, grinning devlishly for added effect.

"U-Uh," Dawn said, caught off guard as she dropped her spoon. "What I think about um... Ur...Ur-sula?"

"Yeah. Is she your type?"

Ash seemed to catch on to what was going on and he sprang up from his lying position on the ground to defend Dawn. "He loves her! Obviously! Dan loves all kinds of girls, yeah?"

The table went a little silent, but Misty interjected quickly for confirmation, "Totally."

Dawn just nodded along with what they were saying, but soon her curiosity took over as she leaned towards Ash to whisper, "Who is she again?"

"You don't know who that is?"

The duo looked up to find Gary's gaze on them, confusion intent on his face.

"She does," Ash said hastily.

Gary frowned questioningly but decided to drop it, attributing the slip to Dawn's little... "situation". He chuckled before pushing the rest of the ice cream towards her.

It's not like he _really_ liked butterscotch.

Across the table, Paul glanced up, and at whatever he saw his face morphed into a grimace. "Dan."

"Hm?" Dawn looked up innocently in the midst of stuffing her face.

"You have ice cream all of your mouth. Wipe it off. It's disgusting," Paul commanded, somehow managing to make the action of wielding his plastic spoon at her threatening.

Dawn apologized and complied immediately, looking around the table and inside of the plastic bags for napkins. When none were to be found, she settled for trying to lick if off, which Paul rolled his eyes to and Gary just laughed at.

"Oh, Dawn..." Misty sighed, noting this from the side and just shaking her head.

Barry's reaction, however, was rather different. His attention was drawn to her mouth and the somehow very alluring action of sliding her tongue slowly across the soft, ice-cream covered lips, all just so -

_Alluring._

He caught himself quickly.

_God**dammit**! This is the **second time today!**_

He stormed out of the room in frustration.

&.

Dawn spat the last of her toothpaste out and rinsed, then savoring the feeling of a fresh mouth. She made her way in her super manly pajamas (soccer ball printed!) to her bed, then collapsed onto it.

It had been a long day. Their performance was tomorrow and she was feeling pretty nervous about it. Her practice today was accepted by Paul, however, and she figured that was good enough assurance. Besides, Gary always seemed to be on her side.

Thoughts shifting to her bandmates, she recalled the lovely experience hanging out with the group of friends. She felt pretty much at home, and there was a warm feeling the whole time she couldn't find a name for at the time, it was like something akin to... family?

_Well, I guess I wouldn't really know that._

Dawn felt like she would really miss what she had with the gang now, but... it's not like she could do anything. This was Dan's role, not hers. She was meant to be a nun, just like Mother Superior.

_Meant to be..._

The thought upset her and she quickly shook her head to divert her attention. Her mind drifted back to a certain incident when they had arrived at the mansion that evening, bombarded by fangirls as usual at the gates, when something interesting happened.

A flustered redhead came to her asking for her autograph.

"Me?" Dawn had repeated, flabbergasted. "But I thought you hated me!"

Dawn was pretty sure she was the same girl who threw a milk carton at her last week about the whole Dan/Paul incident thing.

"No way," the girl responded, shaking her head fervently.

_Guess "saving" Paul's life earned me some brownie points..._

Shrugging, Dawn had accepted the pen and pad dubiously. She hadn't really had to write in cursive before. Doubtfully and carefully, she wrote her name how she usually would - in childish, big, block-like letters.

Paul caught this from the corner of his eyes and snorted condescendingly. Looking somewhat smug, he signed a fan's hat with a particularly big swoosh of the pen, taking satisfaction in Dawn's awestricken gaze.

_And that's how it's done, Troublesome. Not that you would know._

Hmm. She'd have to work on that signature.

Glad that she had something to do, Dawn sat up, grabbed a pen and notebook and headed to Paul's room.

&.

"So you want me to design a cutesy autograph for you."

Dawn pursed her lips. "Well, that's not really what I said - "

"You want _me_ to do something for _you_."

Paul gave her a flat look.

"Well, since yours is so great, I thought I'd ask you," Dawn said seriously with a genuine smile.

Paul, caught off guard by earnest compliment only stared. Was she serious? And was he really asking himself that question, when he only knew her all too well?

"I'll see you later, then," Dawn said, taking the lack of response as a nay. She didn't take it personally on account of already being used to the iciness that was Paul.

She left without another word, leaving Paul slightly thoughtful as he flipped through sheet pages at his desk. That _so_ wasn't cool. How could she just walk in there, ask him for something, and then leave? Leave as if it was _no big deal_ that he just refused to help her.

Paul knew he was perfect for the job.

If Troublesome wanted an amazing autograph, then so be it.

A sharpened pencil hit smooth, fresh paper and art filled the rest of the pages.

&.

Dawn slid open the glass door to her now favorite place in the house - the veranda. She stepped out into the cool night breeze and sighed in content. It was probably the little moments like these that slowly began her attachment to this place, this situation, these _people_ - but she wouldn't notice that, not until it was too late.

"Dan!"

She was snapped out of her reverie by the sound, and she turned to find Gary lounging by one of the deck-style tables. She waved and swiftly made her way over to sit beside him.

"What might you be doing on this fine night?" asked Dawn, flashing a friendly grin at the other brunette.

"Not much, though I do say there is quite the lovely breeze out today," Gary responded coolly.

They laughed for a moment, and Dawn had to admit one thing to herself right then and there - Gary was a really great guy. She would definitely miss having _this_ - whatever it was with him, and...

_Can't think about that now._

"Oh!" Dawn gestured as if she remembered something. "I'm trying to work on my, erm, signature. I asked Paul, but he didn't want to. Can you instead?" she asked hopefully.

Gary frowned at the latter. "You asked Paul?"

Dawn realized what he was getting at. "Oh, well, I saw his signature earlier today and I thought it was pretty cool, so um..." she trailed off. "Okay, that probably wasn't the best idea."

"Yeah," Gary agreed immediately. "Next time you need something, come to me first."

He smiled and there was something very poignant about it, but Dawn didn't pick up on it. "Sure thing!" she said enthusiastically.

The duo spent the next couple of minutes going over several different fonts and letterings and doodles and patterns, with Gary sometimes reaching over to guide her hand with his as she wrote.

"I like this one," Dawn decided, flipping to a middle page and pointing to it with a bright smile.

Gary nodded, happy that he was able to help.

"You know, you have a nice name," Gary said, leaning forward on the table while inspecting the notebook page. "Dan Berlitz. It has a nice sound to it."

"Thanks." Dawn smiled.

"How did your parents name you?" Gary asked, deciding it would be an appropriate enough segway to learn more about the girl.

Dawn didn't show a change of expression, but shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Well, um... I never really knew my parents too well, so I don't know how."

_Oh._

Gary simply nodded, deciding that not questioning further would be the best. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, keeping his eyes directed elsewhere so she wouldn't feel pressured.

"I'm doing this because of my mother."

Gary turned with a perplexed look. "What?"

Dawn inhaled deeply. "I auditioned to be in the band because my mother was a singer. If I can become famous through this, I can find her." Her eyes grew longing and she almost spaced out before realizing Gary was still there.

_Oh, god. What did I just tell him? He's going to think that's stupid!_

Dawn winced internally, chastising herself for her idiocy. What was it about him that made her such an open book?

Before she could ponder this thought much further, she ended up surprised as Gary's arm reached over for a quick ruffle of her hair. He didn't quite smile, but he wasn't flat-faced either - and without a word, he conveyed something that meant a lot to Dawn.

_You'll be okay._

She needed that.

&.

Dawn skipped merrily down the hallway to her room, spirits considerably lifted after the previous conversation. It was pretty cool to have a close friend, and foreign at the same time - she had to set aside her fear to experience something new and exciting.

"Troublesome."

She stopped walking, then looked up to see Paul's stone eyes trained on her, arms crossed patronizingly.

"Yes?"

"I-"

"Oh!" Dawn interrupted as she seemed to remember something. Noting Paul's frown, she continued, "Sorry for interrupting. I just remembered that I don't need your help anymore, since Gary did it for me."

Dawn grinned brightly and Paul's eyes widened a fraction.

"Now, what was it you wanted?"

_Dammit. I can't tell her now!_

"Nothing, Troublesome." Paul's expression suddenly became annoyed. "I wouldn't have helped you anyway, so don't flatter yourself. Next time you need something, just go to him and don't bother me."

"Okay!" Dawn nodded and strolled past him. "Night!" she called after as she shut the door to her room at the end of the hallway.

_Dammit. Dammit. Dammit._

Paul continued the string of curses as he paced to his room, feeling for once, rarely - insulted.

After the blunette girl had left, he had taken to devising the autograph for her - out of _pity_, of course - and since he couldn't find her to deliver it personally, took to leaving it in her room. However, upon entering her room, he found that it was an utter _mess_ (it was a wonder his neat-freak personality didn't force him to clean it) and decided it would get lost in all the clutter. He had tucked it safely underneath the chest with the paper sticking out so she would _surely_ find it now -

_I hate myself._

He scoffed. None of this would have happened if that Dan hadn't felt the stupid urge to go ask _Gary_ for help.

_See if I do anything for her after this._

He sighed, cursing his bad luck as he lay in bed. Abruptly, he sat up.

Still.

He couldn't let her see it.

&.

Dawn was getting pretty sleepy, but somehow managed to hold her eyes open as she sat hunched over the chest in the corner of her room, the treasured photo given to her by the mysterious "aunt" in her hands.

The girl in the picture was definitely her - but what about the _boy_?

Who was Sylvia anymore? Did she even exist? Was Mother Superior _lying_ to her all this time?

_I don't know what to think._

Dawn sighed and pouted as she rested her heavy head on the chest. She had a _brother_. And the man in that picture - that was their _father_. It almost seemed too good to be true - until she reminded herself that her father was dead. She visited his grave every month.

That's why her mother was her only chance - to finally find what she'd been looking for this whole time. And since Dan was looking for that too, she couldn't ruin this for him.

_I can't quit no matter what, no matter what, no... matter..._

She peacefully slipped into a deep slumber as her thoughts ceased, and seconds later a soft snoring sound was heard throughout the room.

Paul chose this exact moment to enter.

He looked around cautiously, carefully calculating his next move.

_Okay. She's asleep - right on top of the chest. Fucking fantastic._

He tiptoed expertly and barefoot until he was hovering over her, where she was sitting cross-legged and hunched over the top of the chest. He checked the situation from different angles, trying to see if he could just sneak the paper out just as it was. No, it wouldn't do. She was sleeping right over the opening.

_I. Didn't. Ask. For this._

Trying to bite the menacing thoughts that kept threatening to rise _down_, he tried to see what else he could do. He inspected from the side, then glad to find that there was indeed an opening and if he reached far enough - could grab the paper and get away scott-free.

Coincidentally, he glanced down beside her where he found a notebook turned to the page of a certain signature. It looked like something Gary would've come up with.

_Pathetic. _

He sat down beside her on his knees, cursing himself with the stupidity of the entire situation, but dammit he was this far, and he would _get_ that thing if it killed him -

_Got it._

Satisfied, he gratefully pulled his arm back quickly, and in the process knocking out the lights.

Literally.

The night-lamp on the table beside fell to the floor with an awful clatter and Paul had to struggle to remain quiet and still.

Keeping his own breathing nearly silent, he carefully listened for any signs of disruption of Dawn's sleeping. The soft snore was constant, and he nearly sighed with relief, if not realization of the next thing -

He couldn't see.

He was screwed.

_I could wake her up now - I mean, I have the thing..._

"Dan!" he whispered. He grabbed a hold of her shoulders and shook fervently. "Wake up! I have night blindness!"

She showed no signs of arousal.

"Good for nothing brat," he cursed, shoving her back onto the chest. He had never been to the guest room before, so it would be difficult to navigate himself even by memory. Now what?

_The lights._

Trying out the idea, he hesitantly reached out to try and find the fallen lamp. As he reached blindly in the dark, he bumped into something that felt suspiciously lamp-like, and unfortunately in his haste to reach for it - fell over backwards onto his back.

_If I'm making an idiot out of myself, it might as well be in the dark._

Paul reached forward, then freezing as he realized there was something vaguely body-like lying on top of him.

It was her.

With something akin to discomfort, annoyance - _and something else_ - Paul pushed her off and managed to get up into a standing position. Stumbling and fumbling, he made his way out of the room cursing all the while.

&.

"So whatcha get in for?"

"I got into a fight."

"Oh? You don't look like the type."

"Gurl, how was I supposed to know that bitch's nose was $3000?"

Two women were seen exiting a police station, laughing together merrily as they walked outside arm in arm.

On the right side walked Connie. It was a bit of a story what happened last time, that is - she kind of got arrested.

To be fair, she had no idea so many people did plastic surgeries these days.

The matter aside, after getting into a fight with one of the prissy Archangels fans, she hadn't been able to deliver the envelope to Dan personally, or even talk to him for that matter.

"Say," the blonde friend asked, stopping them in the middle of the road. "Didn't you say you was that pretty boy's auntie?"

Connie just smiled mysteriously.

&.

"Yuss! We're here, guys!"

"Come on, come on, come on!"

Barry ushered the Archangels gang out of the van at the parking lot of the Gourdon Theatre, the site for the autumn festival. Gary hopped out of the van, easygoing smile in place as he helped Dawn out. Paul came out last, not quite looking happy but most certainly with his game face on.

It was performance day.

"Let's do this," Brock said dramatically as he stepped out of the vehicle, sunglasses lowered for effect.

"Just get inside," Misty said, embarrassed for her boss/friend.

"Oh, hello there!"

The Archangels gang turned to the voice only to find the one and only Ursula waving and grinning at them.

_There's my cue!_

Barry lept forward and held out a friendly hand for her to take. "And good evening to you, Miss Ursula! Looking as lovely as ever, may I add," he gushed.

_See, this is the type of girl I like. She's like, pretty. And stuff._

Nodding along happily, he didn't notice how Ursula never even spared him a glance even as he shook her hand. Interest obviously elsewhere, she stepped past Barry and nodded at the gang. "Archangels, it's great to finally meet you guys! We've got Barry here, Dan, Gary, and..."

Ursula trailed off, finger touching her full, red lips. "I'm not sure who you are..."

Paul sneered. _  
_

_How immature._

"He's Paul," Barry answered for her, taking pleasure in enlightening the beautiful woman.

"Oh." Ursula paused briefly before continued, "Okay. See you guys later!" She whirled around and stalked off with her heels clacking against the pavement, purse held daintily in hand and long locks of hair swaying in the wind.

"Dang," Misty laughed, assumingly at the pink-haired woman's hasty departure.

"What did you do to her?" Brock questioned. Then his expression soured, "It is _not_ good for our image to be enemies with _U__rsula _of all people, Paul."

Paul did not respond to that, and promptly begin the walk to the building by himself.

"He is _so_ asexual," Barry commented, shaking his head sadly. "I mean, not getting shaken by _Ursula_?"

"She may not be everyone's type, Barry," Gary reminded him dutifully as the gang followed behind Paul through the entrance doors.

_I'm still leaning towards asexual._

&.

The dressing room was a flurry of people moving in and out, frantic clothing being thrown around the room and Misty bossing around the amateur make-up artists. Dawn sat hesitantly in a corner, waking for Misty to finish Barry up for her turn.

"Barry, are you falling asleep!?" she screeched, raking the comb through his hair with a bit more vigor.

"No!" he denied, wrenching his eyes open. He couldn't help it. Getting your hair done was the most _relaxing_ feeling in the world... life would be so much better as a girl.

"Oh, Dan!" Misty said, as if remembering something.

"Hm?" She looked up.

"Apparently, your aunt came back to see you again!"

"What!?" Dawn sprung up from her seat, eyes wide as saucers. "You mean she's here? Right now?"

"Yeah!" Misty nodded. "Studio... B, I think? Yeah. I don't mind if you go visit real quick. Just come back here within ten minutes!" she warned.

"No problem!" Dawn grinned gratefully at her friend. "I'll be back!"

Dawn ushered out of the room and down the hallway, eyes brimming with tears and heart overflowing with hope.

&.

Diane was having a long day.

"Coffee. Now," she ordered darkly as she stormed into dressing room #413, setting down her bags and plopping herself into the soda.

"Yes, ma'am." The assistant rushed out of the room.

She sighed and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Age had really done a number on her. She remembered back when she was young - and famous, and gorgeous, the prime of her _youth_ - it was something that she could never have back.

Nonetheless, she still had one more thing going for her - _her song_.

Her mind traveled back to the incidents of earlier on in the day, where she was performing on stage for as a guest star for some tv show - (it's not like she cared what it was) - and was later prompted to reveal the secrets hidden within it.

_What should I do? _

_What should I do?_

_You're leaving and you're not looking back,_

_And I'm crying out,  
_

_not that you hear - I'm shouting in my heart..._

The lyrics were a hit with the crowd, and the audience was swayed by her lovely voice, which was very womanly and poignant and aged like fine wine.

"Does this song mean a little more to you than you're letting on?" the interviewing lady had asked, grinning as if she was proud of herself for finding a lead.

Diane pretended to be shocked. "Oh my, you found out!"

The lady across from her smirked. "It wouldn't take a child to find out, Miss Crush. The emotion in that song was stupendous!"

"Thank you," Diane replied, laugh light and fluttery and Splenda-esque (because something about her was always just _off_). "But yes, I... this song was written for me by a former lover of mine, so yes, it means a lot to me."

She sighed in frustration. She needed to get that song arranged immediately -

_Any more stalling and it might end up in the hands of **that**__ woman_, she thought darkly.

That's when Dawn burst into the room, panting and heaving as she walked in to examine her surroundings.

"Can I help you?" Diane questioned, frowning at the unkempt looking boy that had entered her room.

"Oh!" Dawn turned around to make eye contact with her. "Yes, um - I ... are you Connie?"

"Connie?"

Diane raised in eyebrow.

"Must've got the wrong studio," Dawn muttered, stomping her foot in frustration.

"Who are you?" Diane asked, curiosity captured by the flustered looking boy in front of her. It reminded her of Paul - when he was a child, that is.

Dawn seemed to pause a moment before replying, "Dan Berlitz, I'm uh... a vocalist in Archangels."

"Archangels, hmm?"

Diane seemed perplexed.

_Berlitz, Berlitz... no, it couldn't be. _

"So I'm assuming you are acquainted with Paul?" she asked.

Dawn moved to sit down beside the woman. "Yes, erm... sort of."

Diane simply nodded, then shifted her gaze to the ground as if thinking about something deeply.

Dawn on the other hand, was bothered by something herself. That woman seemed so _familiar_ - where had she seen that face?

_Wait a minute._

Dawn rewinded her memories and returned to the point she had gone into Paul's room for the second time, (which she had also politely dubbed 'The Tea Incident') and seen his shelf of CDs. Several of the albums he owned had this woman's face on it!

"Oh, you're Diane Crush!" Dawn nodded in understanding. "Paul's a pretty big fan of you!"

Diane nearly gasped in surprise before regaining composure. "Paul's my... fan?"

"Oh, yes!" Dawn nodded, smiling. "I've seen a ton of albums of yours in his room before."

"Ah, I see..." she nodded, taking in the information slowly.

_That boy keeps all of my CDs?_

The beep of a cellphone echoed throughout the room, and Dawn apologized before whipping out her cellphone to read the message. Whatever it was, it must have been important - for she ran out of the room without sparing another word.

Diane gazed after, unable to shake off an uneasy feeling.

&.

"Where is she!?" Misty shrieked, pre-concert stress emanating from her.

"Geez, calm down!" Gary said from the couch on the side of the room while absentmindedly strumming his guitar. "We're the ones performing, here."

"YOU. DON'T. EVEN. KNOW." Misty's nostrils flared, and Gary wisely decided that it was perhaps best he backed off this time.

Barry was dozing off in the corner, and Paul sat silently, chin in hand.

"Paul, go get her." Misty jutted her thumb in the direction of the door.

He gave her a dark look.

"Just... do it, alright?" she sighed, rubbing her temples. They were on in less than five minutes, and good God this certainly wasn't good for her health. Where was Ash when you needed him? The guy disappeared earlier on in the day saying he had some business - only to be gone the entire day.

"I'm only doing this so I get the chance to kill the damn idiot," Paul clarified as he stood to stalk out of the room.

The timing worked out perfectly, for he found Dawn rounding the corner right at the end of the hallway, and he ran to catch her.

"You! Troublesome? Where have you been?" he demanded in annoyance at the girl.

Dawn seemed to be out of breath. "I'm so sorry! I got lost, and... Ash just sent me this text, and -"

"Ash sent you a text?"

"Yeah." Dawn nodded. "He said... he said that he was meeting up with my aunt, and any minute now he'll tell me the information!"

"Paul!" Misty's head stuck out of the dressing room, then visibly relaxed slightly as she found both of her band members safe and sound, ready to perform. "We're about to be on!"

Dawn tried to walk forward, but Paul defiantly caught her wrist, thwarting her. "What do you think you're doing with that phone?"

"Look, this is important," she said, sighing. "I need this information. If I miss his call, who knows -"

Paul didn't let her finish, snatching the phone away from her (and curiously feeling a bout of deja vu) and fixating her with a stern look. "A missed call is a call you can return. This is our first concert and I am _not_ letting you ruin it by having your attention elsewhere the entire time. I will return this to you after the performance."

Dawn seemed uneasy at the idea but understood what he was getting at. "I understand." She paused, then continued, "But, before everything - I just want to say thank you. For everything you've done for me."

"What?" Paul glanced at her doubtfully. "What is this about?"

"Well, now that I might get information on my mom... I won't have to do this anymore!" Dawn explained happily. "I can leave you guys alone for good, no need to worry!"

"Oh." Paul shifted uncomfortably for the slightest second. "That's good, Troublesome. You'd better not take it back."

Dawn merely smiled at him, then bounded down the hallway to watch up with Gary and Barry.

Paul stared after.

_She'd better not take it back._

&.

The concert, in short, was a success - "_I Guess I'm Still After You_" was adored and praised by their ever-loyal fans (Paul sure knew how to cater to an audience, Ash would say) and it was quite the debut for Dan Berlitz.

Dawn's mini-solo in the song was absolutely fantastic, even better than rehearsed. The excited feeling wasn't just from the audience, it was for Dawn as well - she loved the feeling of adrenaline rushing through her veins as she belted out the chorus, smiling and loving the sound of her voice amplified. It was so easy to sink into the melody and forget everything else.

Unfortunately, the performance was over, and she was back to fretting over her phone.

"Great job, Dan!" Brock congratulated as the band members walked out, all pumped and exhilarated from the experience. He wrapped around an arm around Dawn, who predictably flinched. "You were _fantastic!_ The reporters are dying to get the scoop on you!"

"That's great," Dawn smiled half-heartedly, not quite sure about how she felt doing an interview. Maybe it would be better if they did it as a group - and on that note, where was Paul?

"Something wrong?" Misty asked, walking up to the blunette suspiciously.

"Where did Paul go?" Dawn asked, an urgent tone to her voice.

Misty blinked. "Dunno, he left right after you guys came out."

Dawn sighed in frustration, a frown etched into her features. "Do you mind if I use your phone?"

"It's out of battery," Misty told her dejectedly. "Sorry!"

That didn't stop Dawn, however. She whirled around to the next person she could find - which happened to be her _biggest fan_ (sarcasm) Barry.

"Barry, do you mind if I use your phone?"

Barry gave her a puzzled look, bordering on distaste. "Uh... sure..."

He pulled out his bright orange iPhone, holding it out for her. Dawn grasped it, but he didn't let the phone go. "Take care of it," he said.

"I will."

"I'm serious."

"..."

Barry let go reluctantly.

Dawn ushered into the hallway, quickly punching in Ash's cellphone number. Her legs walked faster as her anticipation increased with each ring.

_Pick up, pick up, pick up...!_

"_Hello?"_

Dawn nearly laughed with relief. "Ash! Ash, it's me, Dawn! What's going on? What did my aunt tell you?"

There was a brief silence.

_"Dawn...the... the thing is..."_

&.

The reason Paul couldn't be found earlier was because he wasn't a liar and he kept his promises - in other words, he had slipped off to the dressing room immediately to retrieve Dawn's phone. Troublesome had better be _thankful_ for all the _nice_ things he was doing or so help him -

He snatched the phone from the dressing drawer and snapped it open, checking to see if it was hers. Indeed, the childish Piplup background indicated it was indeed her, but something caught his eye.

_1 new message._

He hesitated before clicking the icon, wondering just what Dawn could be up to that involved texts.

He was answered.

-.-

**To: Dawn  
****From: Ash**

i'm so sorry about this, but.. your mother had passed away years ago.

-.-

_Shit._

Paul slipped the phone back into his pocket, a pang of guilt hitting him at reading the text, but more surprisingly he was taken aback at what he felt -

Sympathy. Fear.

He stormed out of the room and bounded down the hallway to the studio, finding the rest of the band members there. "Where's Dan!?" he demanded to know.

"She went the way you came," Misty said slowly, taken aback at the Ice Cube's sudden display of frazzled behavior.

Paul rushed back the way he came, searching through the doorways for her, any sign of her, the blue hair - god, he hoped she didn't do anything stupid, wherever she was, she really was _trouble_ wherever she went -

His thoughts came to a halt as he finally found her.

She sat with her back turned to him against the railings, a sight against the large glass windows accounting for the entire left wall of the floor. It was a beautiful view of the city, but it was lonely. There was no sign that told him how she felt - and in that moment, Paul felt worse than he would've wanted to admit.

Then, he heard it.

Her shoulders shook, and a sob escaped her lips.

"She's gone," she said, turning her head to face him, red eyes brimming over with tears. "She was never here. I was chasing after a figment of my imagination all along!" she cried.

Something in her was utterly broken. He looked into her eyes and what he saw scarily reminded him of himself - a void, which was deep and velvet black and filled with the purest form of desperation and sorrow and _pain__ -_ he could almost empathize too well.

He did the only thing he could think to do.

He shifted next to her and sat down so that she was leaning on his shoulder. He kept his arm wrapped around her shoulder - it was kind of awkward, but he truly felt like she needed the consolation.

Sometimes Paul never realized that maybe he was just the good guy trying to be bad and not the other way around.

"There they are!"

The voices of Gary and Barry echoed from down the hallway, but Paul didn't move. He let her cry, so that was how the other two found them together.

"What's...going on?" Barry seemed utterly flabbergasted, taking in the scene disbelievingly.

But his reaction was nothing compared to the dejected look Gary gave at the sight of both of them.

_Why is she crying in **his**__ arms?_

* * *

Hahaha, good LAWD was THAT a long chapter! 10,000+ words!

Man, I am evil. I look like I'm totally Cavaliershipping - then BAM! IKARI TO THE MAX. Sorry, Twinleafers. Maybe later, I'm sort of torturing Barry atm with pseudo homosexuality. Heheh.

But, look! PAUL HAS EMOTIONS! Kind of. Maybe. Haha. They don't show through his facade of emo most of the time. I feel SO bad for Gary, god, I'm an awful person. Ugh.

For those of you wondering - that little photo thing will be tied up later. :-)

HOW DO YOU LIKE URSULA AS THE VILLAIN, EH? :D I know she's portrayed as mostly nice in the anime, but I sense a sort of haughty attitude to her which I made more pronounced in this story. :3 Think of it as a good girl gone wrong.

GUYS KEEP REVIEWING SERIOUSLY. THIS STUFF TAKES ME HOURS TO TYPE. (Oh, keep in mind the plot credit is ALL Hong Sisters though. I'm not genius enough to think up this shit.) THANK YOU 3 Also, another thank you to my still-lovely-wonderful-beta Kissy Fishy.


	5. Chapter 5: We All Fall

**A/N: **Oh my god, it's a 12,000+ words chapter! Longest yet. Do you guys like these long or do you want me to shorter then? Review and do tell. This chapter has the beginnings of a lot of strong feelings, guys! :D

Some other things I'll talk about that you may question in the chapter:

- YES, YOU MAY NEVER KNOW what Paul did that was so embarrassing. :D Any guesses?

- Gary bought Dawn the green pumps. For her. And the girl he's been keeping something from - yeah that's Dawn. She's just oblivious.

- Yes, Ursula is evil.

- Connie has plans. So does Diane.

- Dawn was YES, a separated twin. Her parents are dead and Sylvia was fabricated so that she would not be able to find her brother, Dan.

- Harley is a reporter. Aw, yeah. [I may have him interact with May and Drew next chapter.]

Read on!

* * *

**Operation Crossdress  
.x.  
**_Chapter 5: We All Fall_

* * *

The atmosphere of the night was tense - the only sound heard was Dawn's muffled sobs and the cool breeze that swept through between the crack of the large glass windows behind them. Paul sat still, hand gripping her shoulder as he kept his gaze steady on the ground.

"Wh-what's going on?"

Barry blinked once, twice, trying to make sense of the situation in front of him, but no, no matter what way he looked at it - Paul was most definitely _comforting_ Dan. Paul didn't comfort _anyone_, let alone people he didn't like!

"I don't know," Gary answered, voice quiet as he watched the two warily. "Maybe Paul knows..."

"Huh?" Barry gave Gary a puzzled look.

When Gary didn't respond, Barry shrugged and went to step forward to find out what the commotion was.

"Don't," said Gary. He brought his gaze up and kept it steadily on Barry's. "Leave them alone."

_I really don't get what's going on at all..._

Barry reluctantly stepped back and he gave the other two some space, leaving him and Gary to stand there, minds lost in a sea of thought. There were plenty of different scenarios that suggested this, but none that they could quite picture.

Meanwhile, Dawn's sobs had ceased and Paul could only feel her warm tears soaking the fabric on his shoulder. After giving her shoulder a light squeeze, he seemed to snap back into reality and flushed slightly out of embarrassment. What had gotten into him?

"Dan," he managed to say, voice cracking slightly. He coughed and forced himself to look at her. "Stop crying."

"I'm sorry," Dawn said tearfully as she sat back up straight, wiping her eyes hastily. "I'm so sorry."

"Just stand up," Paul commanded. He rose to his feet and offered her a hand which she gladly took to boost herself up.

"Guuuuuysssss!"

The four band members whirled around to find the rest of the team heading their way, with Brock leading and a concerned look on his face.

"What happened?" Misty asked worriedly as she got to the scene, immediately taking notice of Dawn. "Why is Dan crying?"

Paul was quick to respond, "He's just a little stressed out. It was his first performance, so nerves got in the way."

"Oh." Misty didn't seem convinced, but mollified enough to retreat for then. "You'll have to go refresh, anyway. You all have an interview coming up in a few minutes."

Brock seemed like something was bothering him, the way he kept stroking his chin. "Say, Paul, were you just sitting down with Dan right now?"

The room went silent, with no one sure what to say. Barry and Gary were determined to say out of it, Dawn didn't want to say anything, so it was up to Paul to speak up.

He nodded.

Misty brightened. "You were making her feel better! Well it's good that you guys are getting along."

"That is good," Brock added thoughtfully. "I mean, we have the picture to prove it but I guess we don't have to use it now!"

"What picture?" Paul asked in an accusing tone.

Paul fixed a deathly glare on Brock and he froze. "Nothing. Nothing at all. I'll have it burned. Deleted. Erased," Brock said, chuckling nervously afterward as he went to scratch his neck.

"Anyway!" Misty cut in with fake cheeriness, "Brock, you should take Barry and Gary for their interviews now. I have to have a word with these two."

Dawn and Paul looked up at the same time with identical puzzled faces (albeit Paul's much colder) while Barry and Gary exchanged wide-eyed glances.

"Uh, sure, Misty..." Brock motioned the blonde and brunette to follow him as he left the trio alone so Misty could have her little "word".

Misty crossed her arms and begin tapping her foot as if in anticipation for something. Dawn stood cluelessly, and Paul just seemed annoyed. "Can I _help_ you?" he asked.

"Yes, you can," Misty answered. She ceased tapping and uncrossed her arms, expression changing in an instant as she let out a sigh. "I'm going to ask you this once, and answer me honestly. Will Dawn be able to do her interview?"

"What?" came the simultaneous questions from Dawn and Paul.

They exchanged quick glances, and it was agreed Paul would go first. "_Dawn_? Is... is that her name?"

Misty seemed taken aback at the question. "Well... yes."

Dawn decided it was her turn. "Of course I can do the interview! I'm fine!" she insisted.

Misty gave Paul a knowing look. She wanted him to decide. Misty knew that Dawn was upset, and she wasn't sure why, yet - but she had a hunch Paul knew, and she wanted to find out.

Paul looked to Dawn, noting her red eyes and the way she kept looking down - he could tell one thing, and that she was still hurting badly inside.

"Dawn," Paul paused at the foreign name. "Cannot do the interview. Not in this state."

"I can!" Dawn continued to insist, moving to wedge herself between Paul and Misty. "I... I'm not that weak or anything!"

"Troublesome," Paul cut in, pushing her aside. "This is not about being weak. What are you going to do when you go out there and break down in tears? Say I'm antagonizing you again?"

Dawn was silenced by this, and she allowed herself to step back into place again as Misty looked on amusedly.

_I've gotta admit, Paul, that was a clever front. You care for her getting hurt, but cover up to keep up your gruff attitude._

Misty chuckled. "Wow, Paul. I think you may actually be human."

"Fantastic observation," he responded dryly.

Dawn, not getting it as usual, just followed behind the other two as they made the walk to the dressing room.

&.

"So, what now?" Misty asked.

The three sat awkwardly inside of their dressing room on the couch.

"We could just leave," Paul suggested, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Misty took the liberty of throwing a pillow at him. "Not that easy, smartass! It's not like she can leave the building without being noticed by the paparazzi who, may I add, have the entire second floor covered at the moment."

He threw the pillow back at her. "Then she'll have to go in disguise, won't she?"

Misty picked up the pillow, but then put it back down (much to Dawn's relief, she was sitting in between them and her poor face was being hit with each blow) as her face seemed to light up at the idea. "I've got just the thing."

"Hmm?" Dawn suddenly grew anxious as Misty stood up and leaned in to inspect her, arms extended like a predator's. "Umm... Misty?"

"Paul," Misty said, ignoring Dawn's protests. "Would you mind leaving the room for a moment? She needs to change."

Paul left wordlessly, glad to have an excuse to be alone. He stepped out into the hallways and began pacing the halls, trying to calm all the worried thoughts that rushed through his head. Ugh. Worried because of Dawn? His life was beginning to sound sadder and sadder.

From a distance, a familiar reporter with equally familiar long purple hair turned the corner of the hallway, smiling happily to himself.

"I get an interview with Ursula~! Heck yeah, baby!" he cheered to himself. He could see it now. 'Reporter Harley gets the scoop on the scandal from one Ursula Herrings!' Oh, yes. He liked the sound of that. He continued walking, but slowed down at the sight of a figure pacing outside of the room.

_Wait a second.. can it be... Paul?_

Harley quickly froze and turned back around the corner, then carefully peeking out behind it. Indeed, it was Paul. Why was Paul outside Ursula's dressing room? He had been told Ursula would be here, not...

_Oh!_

When Ursula came out of the Archangels van last time, could that be because... those two? And now, Paul waiting outside of her dressing room?

He grinned evilly.

_I think I've just hit the jackpot._

He quickly took cover behind the corner again, waiting for his opportunity.

"Paul!" Misty called from inside. "You can come in now."

"Finally," Paul huffed irritably as he pushed the door open impatiently. "What took you so long?"

"It was a good disguise!" Misty defended, hands on hips as she glared down the other man. "Problem?"

Paul was oh so very tempted to say 'yes', but knew that the situation at hand did not require an angry Misty. He would have to get her later. "None."

Misty smiled in delight. "May I present to you... _Dawn Berlitz_, the very _female_ pop singer!"

The redhead whisked the curtains to the private stall back and revealed the new Dawn.

Paul's jaw would have probably dropped if he hadn't had so much self-control. He settled for slightly more open than usual.

The Dawn that stood before him... that... that wasn't Dan at _all._ Adorned in shiny, black boots and fish net leggings with a too-short black skirt and too-short shiny black halter top, the outfit itself was quite a sight. But - but the _face._

He couldn't believe he had ever thought Dawn was a boy in the first place. Her hair was all raked back into a fake blue ponytail, bangs cutely framing her face. Her eyes were done with mascara and eyeliner, pretty pink dusted on her cheeks and gloss adorning her lips.

Dawn shyly looked down.

_As if he needed another reminder that I'm a girl..._

Paul quickly coughed, looking away. "Let's hurry up and get you out of here."

Dawn nodded quickly in agreement, refusing to meet his eyes as well. She went to walk forward, but stopped as Paul turned around once again to get another look at her.

_I can't even think of her as Dan, now. She's so... girly._

Deciding the train of thought was making him uncomfortable, he quickly took hold of her wrist to exit the room.

Outside, Harley lurked behind the corner, waiting for his prey. He caught Paul coming out, and immediately sprung into action.

"Paul!" he shouted, jumping out from the corner of the hallway. "Is it true you're dating Ursula Herrings!?"

Paul froze, recognizing that pesky reporter's voice. "_Shit._"

Without another word, Paul whisked her the opposite direction and broke into a sprint. "We can't let him see us," he told her in a rush.

"Hey, you guys!" Harley complained. "Wait!" He ran after, desperately taking pictures of the back of their figures.

Dawn, out of breath, simply nodded while trying to keep up with the other man's fast pace. They turned the corner and then the next one, desperately trying to lose his trail. Dawn was beginning to stumble on her wedge boots, slowing them down - much to Paul's annoyance.

They came to a halt, and Paul let go. "We're at the first floor. If you keep a low profile you'll be able to get outside without anyone noticing you," he said while breathing heavily, exhausted from the run.

"Th-Thanks," Dawn managed to stutter before turning away from him to disappear into the crowd.

Paul stood behind the staircase to remain hidden from the paparazzi, still heaving from the run.

_Really is more trouble than she's worth._

&.

Dawn walked outside into the parking lot, startled to find that it was already pitch black outside. Crickets chirped as her heels clicked on the pavement. What a scary, long day it had been. She could still already believe it all happened. The concert, Paul, _Mother..._

Deciding not to go there, the girl quickly shook herself out of it and tried to regain composure when her cellphone rang.

-.-

**To: Dawn  
From: Ash**

i've brought the van to pick you up. sorry about everything.

-.-

She looked up, and sure enough spotted the large white van with their logo printed onto the back. Hastily making her way towards the vehicle, she hesitantly rapped her knuckles on the clean glass window. It rolled down, and Ash was seen sporting dark sunglasses.

"Hop in," he said coolly.

Dawn managed a small laugh but obliged and climbed in gratefully into shotgun and took off those awful heels first thing. Ash shifted into reverse and begin to pull out of the parking lot, and after that they were on their way in the silent night. No one wanted to talk first - but Ash knew he had to say something.

He took the sunglasses off and set them aside first. "I'm going to take you to see your aunt now." Ash paused, trying to gauge her reaction. "Is that okay?"

"Yes," Dawn nodded firmly once. She would not let her feelings get in the way of this. She needed to see her blood relative and find out just what she knew about the Berlitz family. It was her only hope for making sense out of all of this.

"So, um... I heard Paul consoled you," Ash said, eyes raised to the ceiling awkwardly. Okay, you got him - he could _not_ believe that had _actually happened._ It was _Paul!_

_Like, why the hell would that even happen?_

"Oh." Dawn gave him a surprised look. "How did you know?"

"Misty."

"Of course."

Ash raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"_Nothing_," Dawn said, managing a wry smile.

Ash laughed, and so did Dawn. Ash was glad he was able to make her laugh at least a little - the past week had been pretty hectic, and Dawn had reached one of her own climaxing points, the news about her mother and - he was anxious to find out what Dawn would do next. Would she give it all up? Would she give Ash, Misty, the band all up? Leave them behind?

He gave a sidelong glance to Dawn, whose gaze was directed out the window. She looked lost in thought, hair swaying in the wind of the opened window.

_I guess I'll just have to hope._

&.

Ash had stopped at a nearby gas station and handed Dawn some men's clothes to go get changed in time for meeting with her aunt. Makeup all washed off, extensions gone and baggy clothes in place, she looked like the old Dan again.

"Makeup does amazing things," Ash mused as Dawn stepped back into the car.

"It does," Dawn agreed.

Fortunately, the drive to park where her aunt was at was only a minute away, and they weren't faced with the uncomfortable silence once again. After Ash parked, the two stepped out and made their way into the picnic area, where they found one lone woman waiting at the benches.

"Dan! Dan, is that you!?" she cried out as they sauntered into view.

Dawn stepped out of the shadows and managed a sad smile. "Yes," she answered simply.

"Make sure you act like you know her," whispered Ash from the side. "This guy really is Dan's aunt."

"Oh, Dan!" The woman stood to embrace her beloved nephew, and Connie's warm eyes came into view as she did so. She wrapped her arms tightly around Dawn and held her for a moment. "I'm so, so, sorry, baby."

Dawn felt her eyes well up with tears.

This was... this was her family, wasn't it? This was the feeling of family she had been missing all this time. To be in the arms of another, with a woman as tender as an embrace as this - the feeling was overwhelming. The soothing voice calmed her and Dawn forced herself to take deep breaths and calm the oncoming tears.

"Aunt Connie," she said, pausing and feeling the foreign name on her tongue. "I need to know the truth behind the photo you sent me."

Connie pulled back and gave Dawn a slight smile. "I do suppose it's time I told you, dear."

&.

The car ride back home for the latter trio of the Archangels was a very silent ride home, mostly due to everyone not talking to Paul about the incident out of fear of what he might say.

"So," Barry decided to speak up after a twenty minute silence. "Can anyone tell me what Dan was _really_ upset about?"

Paul sighed. He couldn't keep the truth from them much longer, and he supposed they deserved to know at least this. "He learned that his mother passed away, and was extremely upset since he was hoping to use the band as an outlet to try and find her."

"What!?" Barry exclaimed, leaning all the way forward from the backseat to face Paul and Gary. "Are you _serious_!? So you weren't just hugging him for like... no reason?"

Paul's head snapped up with a glare. "First of all, we were not hugging. Second of all, why would I do that for no _reason_?"

"I can see how that makes sense," cut in Gary.

Paul and Barry both looked to him expectantly, and Gary sighed and continued. "When I was talking to him, he did mention that a lot of the reason why he was here was to meet his mother."

Barry froze in place then leaned back into his seat slowly.

_So that's what Dan was doing with the two of them... looks like I had it all wrong._

"Ugh, I feel like such a bastard," Barry said, baring his teeth out of annoyance of himself. "I was so mean... I need to make up for it!"

"Make up for _what_?" Gary dared to ask, raising an eyebrow at the blonde.

"I've got it!" Barry grinned his festive grin, the one that Gary and even Paul had unfortunately grown to recognize instantly.

"Don't say it," spat Paul, already feeling an oncoming headache.

"A party!"

&.

So Dawn admit she was a little surprised when she walked inside of the mansion to be confronted by three enthusiastic men standing at the doorway. Well, two of them actually seeming enthusiastic.

"Come on!" Barry smiled and grabbed her wrist, yanking her inside.

_This is a change of tune if I'd ever heard one._

"Should I be scared?" asked Dawn, a smile slowly creeping up her lips as she turned to face Gary and Barry who walked on either side of her.

Gary chuckled. "Probably."

Finally, Barry slid the veranda's glass door open and the exited into the cool autumn night, where Barry had quite the party set up. Streamers and balloons adorned the furniture and there was a dinner spread out on the table. "Ahem!" he cleared his throat and went to properly introduce Dawn.

"This is a 'Congratulations on your Debut' party in honor of Mr. Dan Berlitz, hosted by Mr. Barry Hunter." He bowed respectively, only to come up seeing that the only thing he had produced were cricket chirps.

Gary snapped up as if remembering something. "Oh, yeah!" He began clapping.

"Thanks," said Barry flatly.

"Anytime."

Dawn, still not knowing what to say, stood there fiddling with the hems of her sleeves.

"Right, moving on!" Barry said. He moved down under the table to bring out what seemed like cardboard cutout figures. He lined the three of them up side by side, then gestured to the first once as he introduced, "And out first guest of honor to this party is the lovely Cynthia Hoax, Sinnoh Idol Champion!"

"And if anyone doesn't know, you're supposed to laugh," came Paul's monotone voice from the corner where he stood, arms defiantly crossed as he surveyed the scene unfolding in front of him.

Dawn laughed anyway, if not at the ridiculousness of it all. "Where did you manage to get cardboard cutouts of these celebrities?"

"They're easier to find than you would think," Barry replied in all seriousness. "Moving on! Here we have Gardenia Stilton, Candice Halpert..." He moved down to the other cutouts with a dramatic seriousness and Dawn couldn't help but feel cheered up.

"Now, since you are our guest of honor," Gary said, then moving his hand to Dawn's back to guide her to the patio table. "You get to sit in the _special_ chair."

The said special chair had a few sorry streamers dangling off of it, complete with a deflated balloon.

"Okay, Barry popped the balloon earlier," Gary admitted.

"It was an accident!"

Dawn chuckled again at their banter, looking up at them bemused. This was all so thoughtful of them... especially after a long day as that one; it was the perfect thing to get her mind off of the stress. Had... Paul played some part in this?

"Thank you guys so much for this," Dawn said gratefully, smiling with joyful eyes at her companions.

"Oh, it's no big deal at all," gushed Barry. (He really was trying to make up for the awful time he gave the guy.) "I just put up decorations, Gary cooked, and... Paul..."

Barry trailed off, unsure what to say. When they all turned to Paul, he defiantly uncrossed his arms and met the glare steadily. "And I am supervisor," he quickly defended, not wanting to be labeled off as useless. "I'm allowing for this to take place."

Dawn rolled her eyes.

_Real generous of you..._

"That's a big deal, trust me," whispered Gary to Dawn from the side.

"Oh," Dawn mouthed. "Well then... thank you too, Paul."

Paul rolled his eyes. _I hope you'd be. I had to stand out here in the cold with these idiots while you took your sweet time getting here._

Suddenly something hit him at the thought. Why had she been late in the first place? He expected her to take a cab home, but the other explanation was that Ash had picked her up and taken her somewhere else instead. Had she gone to see her aunt?

He looked over to her, where he found Dawn trying laugh at another one of Barry's lame jokes. She was smiling, radiating joy - but there were obvious cracks in the façade that Paul caught with his watchful eye.

He suddenly remembered something.

_"I'm really sorry I can't be of use to you, Paul. All I cause you is trouble, and I just want... to help and to stop screwing everything up."_

She had whispered this shakily in his ear while she was crying, but it unnerved him for some reason, and he had brushed it off, but now that he could see her so clearly in front of her and still hurting -

"Dan."

Dawn turned to him from her conversation with a curious eye. "Y-Yes?"

"Your performance was done well today. You were really quite useful," he said, tone slightly praising (in other words, more emotional than usual).

Before Dawn could respond, Barry snorted slightly from his seat on the table. "Isn't that just lovely?"

The comment seemingly went unheard to Dawn, her eyes filled with surprise as she kept her gaze level at Paul. It wasn't in Paul's agenda to give out compliments or anything, and he hadn't just now - but she had told him she wanted to be useful, did she not? It was actually the most perfect thing he could have ever told her at that moment.

Awed by the other man's thoughtfulness, Dawn's face split into a wide, genuine grin. "Thank you."

"Let's eat, shall we?" Gary cut in, afterwards raising an eyebrow at the strange elated look in Dawn's eye.

_It's not like he just asked her to freaking high school prom._

Paul sat down reluctantly and together, the band dug in to the feast laid out before them.

"So!" Barry exclaimed before clearing his throat. He speared his fork into a slice of pepper and stuck it in his mouth. "I declare comedy hour!"

Paul exhaled in exasperation and sunk deeper into his chair, while Gary simply chuckled.

Barry paid them no heed. "So, I'm totally the master of making pokemon noises. Any noise, and I'll make it." He grinned.

Dawn nervously chuckled, "That's fine. I tried out coordinating for a while when I was little, and decided it was enough."

"So..." Gary paused to swallow. "You used to be a coordinator?"

Dawn nodded, and Gary laughed. "Paul used to be a trainer."

"What!?" Dawn's widened eyes quickly jumped to Paul. "Really?"

When Paul didn't respond, Gary answered, "Yeah. When we all met and decided to form a band, we ended up doing all these weird promos to get us popular."

Barry lowered his face as if embarrassed. "Ugh, c'mon man, don't bring those up..."

"They were funny!" insisted Gary, the amused chuckle persisting even at the disapproving glares he got from the other two band members. "You know... I think I have the tape from our first one."

Paul's head suddenly jerked up from the apparently very interesting plate. "You wouldn't dare."

"Calm down, Paul," Barry said while rolling his eyes. "He's bluffing."

Gary raised an eyebrow at the blonde.

Barry winked.

"Oh, Dan," Barry said. He set his silverware down with a clank and stood up, rubbing his belly. "It looks like we're both done, want me to show you something?"

Dawn looked up at him with inquisitive blue eyes. "Show me what?"

Devoid of words and only armed with am impish grin, Barry took hold of the girl's arm and hauled her away to go inside.

Back at the veranda, Paul sighed. "He's such an idiot. Why is he being so nice to him now?"

Gary shrugged like it was obvious. "He feels bad knowing that his mother passed away, is all."

"If you say so."

There was a very brief silence before Gary seemed to remember something, and despite himself begin snickering.

"What is it?" Paul muttered in exasperation.

"N-Nothing," Gary managed to get out between snickers. "I wonder if Barry's playing the tape yet..."

Paul sprung up immediately from the chair.

"What!?"

Gary's laughter could be heard from miles away as Paul bounded down the stairs, yelling, "_You're dead._"

In the living room, Barry jumped in alarm at the sound of the other man's voice. "Oh god, he's coming!" In a rush of panic, he fumbled around for the remote to press play.

"I can hear him coming down the stairs..." Dawn said nervously, who was sitting beside him on the floor.

"Ah, we'll fast forward it!" He jammed the fast forward button and finally, they got to the scene.

"Oh my god!" Dawn's jaw dropped, and she nearly scoffed in disbelief at the sight displayed by the television screamed.

Paul finally reached the end of the stairs and found the scene already playing ahead on the television.

Gary stood behind up, smirking widely. "It's too late..." he whispered mockingly in his ear, prompting Paul to smack him away with vigor.

"It's not that bad," Gary remarked as they walked inside to sit beside Dawn and Barry. "I mean, we're in it too."

Barry pulled a face. "I don't know..." he said doubtfully.

"It...it..."

The boys looked over to Dawn, who was silently shaking with laughter, head resting on her thighs to muffle it. "That really _is_ bad! I... I didn't know Paul was even capable of that!"

That was Paul's last straw. "That's it!"

Squeals were heard, people were chased, Paul's vengeance and Gary's guffaw probably so loud it would have woken up the entire neighborhood - if they had one, that was.

Dawn found herself slowly finding her place in the band.

&.

After an exhausting night and most members agreeing it was time to call it a night, Dawn, along with everyone else started to clean up after the party. Every now and then she would giggle just at the thought of seeing Paul on that screen. It was just so _weird_!

Someone cleared their throat behind her.

"Is it funny?"

Dawn spun around to face Paul, who now had the expression of death.

"Um," Dawn said, ceasing her giggling. "No. I... you actually looked the best of the three back then, you know!"

Paul's eyebrows creased as he seemed to process what she had said. "Back then?"

"Oh!" Dawn's hand flinched to cover her mouth. "I mean, um... I mean, you're... you're still handsome?"

"Hmph." Paul did not look anymore pleased - he had picked up on what was unsaid - his youth was gone now. "Forget it. I don't care what _you_ think."

Dawn allowed herself a small smile, careful not to let him see. He really could be childish at times - he was definitely what Dawn would miss the most. "It'll be nice to have these memories with me after I'm gone."

"Gone?" Paul repeated, mood switching from annoyed to slightly startled.

"Oh, yes," Dawn nodded. "I never got to find my mother, but that's okay. The last thing I want is to cause you more trouble, so I'll keep the promise I made with you and wrap things up soon."

As Dawn piled up the dishes in her arms to haul them off inside to the kitchen, Paul looked after her with an expression of disdain.

_She seemed insistent on staying for her brother and mother's sake before. Now she's willing to ditch her brother? How disloyal. _

He sneered and turned back to his task of picking up all the accursed streamers sprayed out on the floor - Barry's idiotic idea, Paul reminded himself with annoyance.

Dawn returned outside to see if there was any other tasks needed, only to find Gary who looked like he was waiting for her.

"Do you need anything?" Dawn questioned, tone if innocence ever present in her voice.

Gary fixated her with a solemn gaze, and suddenly the aura turned intense around them and Dawn found herself fidgeting and looking away.

_What does he want...?_

Dawn bit her lip, and then Gary spoke. "Hold out your hand."

Dawn's eyes widened, but slowly, she complied, one lone hand slightly trembling as she extended it to him.

Gary seemed unimpressed. "Other one, too.'

Dawn blinked, holding out the other one. Then, Gary dropped the last load of dishes into her hands. "I needed you to take these inside."

"Oh!" Dawn laughed nervously, only to turn around and have her expression morph into one of fear.

_Gosh, that scared me back there. For a second, I thought he knew!_

So concentrated on her thoughts as she retreated to walk inside, she missed the amused expression adorning Gary's face as he restrained laughing at her reaction.

"Yo, Dan!"

Dawn found herself jolted out of her thoughts at her alias and she shook her head to face Barry, who looked at her expectantly with extended palms. "I can take those inside for you."

Dawn hesitated, but managed a smile as she handed them to him. "Thanks, I... appreciate it." She was still thrown off by Barry's sudden three-sixty in attitude, but she supposed perhaps he just finally learned to get along with her.

"No problem!" He grinned back and turned to head inside. Unfortunately on the turn he missed the stair jutting above the ground and begun to fall forward. Dawn caught this and in a flash locked her hands around his waist to hold him back.

"Careful!" she warned, arms still locked around him.

Barry, however, found himself unable to say anything as she held him in her arms. Gulping, he slowly looked down at the foreign hands, only to immediately look back up again. Why was her touch giving him such an uncomfortable feeling?

He wrenched himself away, and then managed a small thanks with a sheepish grin. "I will, um. See you. Later." He hightailed himself out of there.

Dawn just shrugged out of confusion. To some, she was unsettling - to some, amusing, and to some - troublesome.

She would never understand men.

&.

Paul usually never liked to interact with Misty unless it was mandatory.

So Misty found it a little weird when he came up to her with a request - and a strange one, at that.

"Tell me again, why did you decide to do this?"

"Because I can. Now do it."

The setting was at the Pewter Studios, more specifically - the hair salon. Zooming in closer, Paul could be seen in a salon chair as Misty spritzed water over his plum mass of hair.

"Watch it. I might accidentally just shave your head bald," Misty threatened.

Paul scoffed but was silenced, if only for the small voice inside of him that said - she really would. He wanted a change in hairstyle. It wasn't like it was for _personal_ reasons, it was just - he was losing audience. If he wanted the attention of the daft female population (also the audience of his money suppliers) he needed to look good, right?

"Seriously though," Misty added. "Why."

"None of your business."

Misty scoffed in annoyance, glaring at him. "I'll find out anyway, just you watch."

She brought down the perm machine and ordered him to stay still until it was done, then marching off after her phone rang, claiming she had to be somewhere for business reasons.

_How much would I be willing to bet it had to do with Ash?_

Rolling his eyes at the thought, and keeping the bet he made with Gary in mind (that it would take at least another year for Ash and Misty to get together) he whipped out his cellphone and kept himself busy with it for the rest of the time.

After some time, Paul noted other famed celebrities arriving for their styling needs, and cringing at the thought of social interaction, he sent a quick text to Misty to ask if the perm machine was done. With an affirmative, he gladly, ducked out of it to check his newly styled hair.

_Good enough. It looks better than last time. _

_Hmph, not that it was worse last time. Troublesome's opinion doesn't mean anything. I'm still obviously number one._

He really didn't care for his appearance, but apparently that's all his fans cared about - so he went along with it. After a quick scan through his phone for any missed calls or messages, he pocketed it and stood to leave.

At that moment, a splash of pink caught the corner of his eye - and he found none other than Ursula snoozing away next to him while her hair was held in magenta rollers.

Suppressing the distaste that usually came with just thinking of the wretched woman, Paul frowned and turned to exit immediately. However, something else caught his eye - the phone that she held in her hands. It was slowly slipping, about to drop the floor, actually.

In a swift move, Paul leaned down before her to catch it before it hit the ground. Ursula awoke with a start at the sight of Paul so close.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Ursula's panicked eyes moved from the phone to him suspiciously. "A-Are you taking pictures of me or something? Gross!" She quickly snatched the phone back and cradled it possessively.

Paul just rolled his eyes. "I saved it from falling on the floor, Fake Fairy." He paused briefly and smirked widely before adding, "Nothing to take pictures of here anyway."

She scoffed indignantly as he stood up and gave her that patronizing look before walking away. The indigence was quickly mitigated by that grin he had flashed her, however. She had never seen the man so close to... amusement before.

_I wonder if he's single?_

She'd have to look in to what Reporter Harley had told her last night.

&.

Back at the Pewter & Co. Studios, the Archangels band members all currently were either splayed out on the floor or wrapped in towels watching T.V. - most of this from the after effects of a vigorous dance session.

It had gone mostly well - but Dawn's thoughts, as usual, remained elsewhere. She couldn't stop thinking about what Connie had told her last night - the truth. Her father, composer and song writer Micah, passed away before her birth. Johanna, her mother, a guitarist - passing away during childbirth. Sylvia in fact, was a lie - her mother had given birth to a girl and a _boy_.

They were separated as babies long ago, but supposedly Connie didn't know the full reason why. Connie didn't know the "Dan" that stood before her was actually Dawn, however - so it was still confusing.

Her brother, Dan was kept in the dark, too? Did they tell _him_ he had a twin sister named Sylvia, too? Were they trying to keep them apart?

Curiously, Dawn had asked, "Where do you think... Sylvia is right now?"

"Oh, your sister?" Connie seemed puzzled. "I haven't a clue where she is. Finding you was hard enough, remember?" She sighed. "You never would tell me where you ran away from, too..."

"Ran away?" Dawn repeated.

Connie gave her a puzzled look. "Of course. I finally found you and you told me you'd grown up at the orphanage, that you'd ran away from your wretched home long ago."

"Right..." Dawn bit her lip. This was getting more and more confusing - how would she keep her cover as Dan and understand what was going on at the same time?

"Ahem."

They both looked up to Ash, who had correctly sensed that Dawn was having a little trouble. "I'm afraid we have to go now, but... you all can discuss later."

Dawn barely managed a grateful thanks before rushing back out into the parking lot with Ash, mind reeling over with questions and possibilities. Just what was the story behind this weird, complicated mess?

Not to mention it seemed so... cliché.

_Okay. Let's go over this one more time._

Two twins were born, with no parents. One of them (Dan) was taken away and raised by someone else, also told the lie that he had a sister named Sylvia. He had eventually ran away and met Connie, who didn't tell him this information at all.

Dawn, meanwhile was left at the church, unwanted, and told the same lie about Sylvia.

_It still doesn't make any sense. Well, I suppose there's more to it..._

"Dan?"

Dawn's complicated thoughts dispelled at the sound of the voice and she looked up to find that Gary had sat down next to her. "Something on your mind?"

"Oh, nothing..." Dawn laughed nervously.

_If only I could tell you._

Barry sat down across from her and switched the channel on the television. On screen appeared a woman modeling green pumps, silky, hairless legs shamelessly flaunted for all to see.

"Those are really pretty shoes," Dawn said in awe, admiring the rich green color of the heels.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Barry looked to her, a bit startled. "You like the _shoes_? We're all looking at the legs, man!"

Gary suddenly seemed to light up inside, a warm smile on his face as he asked Dawn, "You like those shoes?"

She shrugged, eyes still glued to the screen and a dreamy expression on her face. "Well, yeah... it's just that I've never gotten to wear shoes like that before..."

Everyone went quiet.

Dawn slowly turned around to find baffled looks from all the men directed at her. "Oh, I mean, just curious! Hahahaha. I bet girls' shoes are super weird, y'know?"

Most of the guys shrugged it off and laughed along, but Barry pointedly kept his gaze at the screen.

_Why am I getting such a weird feeling from Dan?_

Gary just seemed satisfied.

_Interesting._

&.

Diane was really quite satisfied. There was no better man for the job - the one to compose her wonderful song_ What Should I Do_, would be none other than her very own son - Paul Everett.

She didn't ask him outright, of course not - she had contacted that boneheaded president, Pewter, and arranged for the meeting with him herself. No one knew about the connection between her and Paul, so even Paul couldn't worm his way out of this one.

"Right, so."

Brock cleared his throat before looking towards Diane and Paul. Was it just him or was the air kind of tense?

"Um," he said. "We can continue discussing the specifics of this over lunch. Is that okay with you guys?"

"Perfect," Diane beamed.

Paul didn't respond.

_That witch..._

&.

"Can you tell me where you're taking me?" Dawn asked for the millionth time.

"No," Gary responded likewise for the millionth time.

This was new, Dawn had to admit. She admit that she had grown to like the older brunette, and yeah - they were good friends so far. She planning on packing up her stuff to move out that night - but Gary had decided to take her out instead.

Laughing, she said, "Okay. Does it have to do with food."

"Hmm..." Gary stroked his chin thoughtfully as he kept one hand on the steering wheel. "Maybe."

"Why can't you just tell me!" Dawn pouted and crossed her arms as she leaned back into the seat next to him.

Grinning at her amusing actions, Gary gave in and relented, "I'm just treating you to lunch, alright?"

Dawn sat up straight, apparently surprised by this information. She turned to him curiously before asking, "Why?"

Gary seemed thrown off guard and had to clear his throat before responding a bit suspiciously, "Uh... well, you know. Your... performance and all was great last night. Just a little congrats treat for that."

"Oh." Dawn nodded. "Okay!"

And despite how calm and relaxed Dawn seemed at the idea, Gary was still calming his racing heartbeat.

_Gah, what was I even afraid of? It's not as if she **knows** I know... does she?_

_But even if she doesn't... what if she assumes... **something else?** Wouldn't that be worse!?_

_Okay, need to stop this train of thought now._

He pulled into a parking space in front of the expensive restaurant, vowing to try and seem more friendly with his advances. He was playing a dangerous game here, and a single mistake could cost him everything.

Once they checked into the private reserved dining room inside of the restaurant and they were served their appetizers, Gary felt like he could finally breathe. He had made it this far... what could possibly go wrong?

"This is sooo cool!"

Gary glanced up to note Dawn very starstruck and admiring of the atmosphere he had brought her to. It was classy and romantic with an ornate glass chandelier and polished hardwood flooring and furniture. Something that would be Gary's style.

"Glad you like it," Gary said. He smiled afterwards, realizing that Dawn had probably never seen these things before. She was completely new to the media industry (that much was obvious) and her reactions to everything were too amusing to miss.

"Like, look at this!" Dawn held up her drinking glass - a very carefully and beautifully coloured and carved piece which was modestly filled three quarters with orange juice. "I feel like I can't even drink out of this."

"I dare you to try," Gary replied with a playful grin.

Dawn played along, "I don't know... what if I turn into - ack!"

She lost her grip on the handle and the glass plummeted downwards for a millisecond before she managed to catch it again before it hit the floor.

"Close one," she sighed in relief, setting the glass back down.

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Close one indeed. You got orange juice on yourself."

Dawn looked down at her dark blue jeans, which were indeed now orange juice stained. She sighed while her eyes looked to the ceiling. "I'll go get this cleaned off," she said as she stood and pushed her chair back in. "I'm sorry, I'll try to be back soon!"

The girl rushed out of the room, and underneath the table, Gary could be seen holding into a mysterious brown bag.

"Please," he said once she was out of earshot. "Take your time."

&.

"So... do you want to order now?"

Okay, Brock would admit it. He wasn't painfully dense like Ash - he knew that something was wrong with Paul. But he wasn't painfully blunt like Misty, either - he didn't have the guts to outright ask what was the matter.

He sat next to Paul, across from Diane at the table, and just trying to get a conversation started - even business related - proved to be very difficult.

"Of course," Diane answered the waiter. She rattled off on a few dishes to the waiter who obediently noted everything and left the room.

_So much for a distraction..._

Brock sighed, deciding to try and get this over with. "So, Ms. Crush. Could you please provide some detailed specifics about the song arrangement you requested?"

"Ah, yes," the other woman answered. She brought a finger to the silver pendant dangling from her neck while looking upwards in deep thought. "I think I have something in mind."

Paul stayed out of the discussion completely, except for the occasional nod and grunt. It was entirely obvious that he didn't want to be there at all - but Diane seemed to be either oblivious or not caring - Brock really couldn't tell which.

Moments later, their meal arrived, and Diane brightened at the change in discussion.

_Really, I came here to talk to Paul, not that other idiot. _

"I ordered my favorite dish especially for you," Diane said with a proud smile, flipping the long wavy purple locks over her shoulder. "I hope you will like it."

"Uh, no doubt," Brock said, curiously eyeing the food placed in front of him. He usually cooked for himself despite being such a wealthy man - he had grown up as basically a housewife to his siblings and could never quite outgrow the habit. This being said, he really wasn't sure what the fancy dish was.

Paul wordlessly dug into it anyway, not paying Diane's words any heed at all.

"This," Diane started. "Is an exotic cheese-based dish, I believe it is called Paneer Tikka. Whatever it is, it's really quite delicious." She smiled merrily before digging into her food.

Suddenly, Paul started coughing uncontrollably, and Brock froze.

"Are... are you alright?" Diane asked tentatively, giving her son a genuinely worried look.

It was obvious Paul was trying very hard to keep it under control, but when the hacking coughs wouldn't stop, he was forced to hastily leave the room behind, leaving a confused Diane in his leave.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Brock pulled a face. "I'm sorry, this is really my fault, I should've foreseen this... but Paul is lactose intolerant."

"He is?" Diane said in shock.

_I don't ever remember him doing this as a child..._

&.

Paul pushed the door open to the men's restroom and hastily made his way over to the sink. With shaking hands, he opened the tap and splashed cold water in his face, swallowing hard and trying to just stop remembering something that was obviously too painful for him to - but it wouldn't stop.

-.-

_Paul would admit it for the first time - he was really, really excited. He couldn't recall the last time he ever got to spend time with his mother. Really, he didn't think they ever had. He was born and mostly taken care of by midwives or babysitters - his mother was a busy woman, that's what he was told._

_He made sure to be on his best behavior that day, for he knew his mother, the esteemed Diane Crush herself would not have any misbehavior on his part._

_"I ordered something I think you might like," Diane told her six year old son sitting across the table. "Try it," she said. Her tone was enthusiastic but for some reason Paul felt like it was distant._

_"What is it, Mom?" Paul hesitantly speared his fork into what looked like tofu and stuck it in his mouth, chewing slowly. _

_"Paneer Tikka. It's a sort of exotic cheese prepared in a curry sauce," responded Diane, voice curt and professional even when just merely explaining a food item._

_Paul inhaled and something in his throat caught, and he begin to cough horribly._

_Cringing at the attention to their table, Diane said in a hushed tone, "Do you not like it? Just spit it out."_

_"No," Paul managed to get out. "I... can't eat this -" The coughing continued and Diane was growing rather irritated with the boy._

_"Just go to the bathroom and take care of it," Diane growled despite herself. "Please don't make a scene."_

_Paul fled from the table, convincing himself that the burning sensation in his eyes was from the allergic reaction._

-.-

Funny how eighteen years later, Paul found himself in the same situation with the same exact predicament - and there was nothing he could do about it.

Calming his burning throat, Paul looked into the mirror, shocked to see his eyes red and filled with tears. He wiped them away with fury before coughing again, cursing himself for going along with this in the first place.

_Nothing good can from that witch..._

And at that moment, the door opened.

He froze in place, unable to think or move. What would they think, stumbling upon Paul Everett in a state like this?

"P-Paul?"

Dawn walked in, and her face turned into one of complete shock at Paul's exhausted, sullen appearance.

"Are you okay?" she said shakily, unable to believe the sight in front of her. One other strong emotion gripped her in that moment and it was unbearable empathy.

Paul caught it, and unfortunately for her - he _hated_ sympathy.

He pushed past her and stormed out of the room.

But he should have known better - when was that girl _not_ constantly at his heels?

&.

Gary was getting impatient - if not, worried.

Tapping his foot and checking the time on his phone multiple times was getting tiring - and he was starting to get suspicious. On impulse he quickly pulled out his phone again and hit the contact name _Dan_, cursing when he heard the ringtone go off in the same room. She'd left her phone behind.

He got up and hastily made his way to the men's restrooms, only to find it vacant. Hesitating at first, he gave the women's restrooms a quick check (just in case) but she was nowhere to be found there, either.

_What in the world?_

He took the elevator to the first floor and scanned the area hastily, brows creasing in the fear of her disappearance. People were starting to recognize him, but he didn't care - he had the most foreboding feeling and it was unnerving him to no end.

Then, his phone rang.

_Dan is calling._

Quickly as he could, Gary slid his finger over the unlock button and held the phone to his ear. "Hey, Dan? What happened?"

_"Oh my god, Gary, I am so sorry for leaving all of a sudden like that, I didn't mean to, honestly, I just..."_

"Calm down," Gary said. "Just... what happened?"

"_I know I was supposed to spend today with you, but..._" There was a pause, and Gary didn't really like it. "_I have to be there for someone else now. I really, really hope you'll understand."_

Gary didn't know what to say.

"It's fine."

He opened the paper bag, eyeing the green pumps inside of it carefully.

And then, he hung up.

&.

Dawn hesitantly put the phone back on the rack. From in her place in the phone booth, she could clearly see Paul outside sitting on the fountain stump. His gaze was trained carefully on the ground, lost deep in thought.

Dawn exited the booth and quietly sat down next to him. For a long time, she didn't say a word.

Finally, Paul looked up. "What are you doing here, Troublesome?"

"I'm... just sitting here." Dawn brought her chin up and gave him a challenging look.

"Look, I'm fine," he told her curtly.

"You didn't seem like it," Dawn replied without missing a beat.

"I had temporary breathing troubles."

They stared at each other for a long moment.

"Paul," Dawn finally said, her gaze intent on him. "Did you... have something with milk in it?"

At first, it threw Paul a bit off guard, but then, he let out a bitter chuckle. "Even you remember... so why doesn't she?" he muttered.

"What?" Dawn was lost on this.

"Nothing, just... again, what are you doing here?" Paul repeated before sighing and massaging his temples. Now wasn't exactly the best time for anyone to interact with him, especially Dawn of all people.

"I'm just... here to see if you need anything." Dawn nodded, satisfied with her cover. She wasn't sure Paul would accept that she was really there to see if he felt okay.

"Really." Paul, bemused, kept his gaze at the distance as he thought something over. "I left my cellphone back at the restaurant. Get it for me."

Dawn blinked.

"I don't... know where the restaurant is..."

"Maybe I should change you from 'Troublesome' to 'Useless.'"

"Hey!"

Paul just shrugged as Dawn glared indignantly. "Then give me your phone."

This prompted a sheepish laugh from her. "Um... I kind of forgot it too...y'see..."

After Paul snapping at her in annoyance and Dawn putting up with it kindly, they negotiated and finally agreed their best bet was to head to the main agency offices, the closest destination.

"One major flaw," Paul had said. "We will be recognized."

"Oh," Dawn grinned widely. "I came prepared."

And that was how Dawn and Paul found themselves dressed in a red afro and electric green beanie, respectively.

"I hate this and I hate you," Paul dutifully reminded her as they walked down the streets lined with thrift shops and boutiques and market stalls. A lovely place, and definitely not somewhere you would want to be recognized.

Dawn, reminding herself that Paul was still probably using all the brashness as cover for his hurt, kept her mouth shut and walked alongside the man. Paul thought it was annoying, but for some reason he felt lighter.

_She's a rather useful distraction._

The small talk was very, very little and an argument rose up once about directions - Dawn would've sworn the passed the same pizza parlor twice, but Paul claimed that she was stupid if she thought a city such as Eterna didn't have multiple pizza parlors eventually. Finally, Dawn was forced to point out - it was the same employee working at the parlor every time they passed it by. Reluctantly and with slightly less dignity, Paul searched for a different route, despite Dawn's requests for her to lead.

Eventually, they made it outside of the mansion - much to the relief of both of them.

"Men could just ask for directions and this would be a lot easier," Dawn said, pouting at her limp legs - they were pretty exhausted.

"I found it, didn't I?" Paul said in satisfaction, taking in the view of the agency. "And that's what matters."

Dawn rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to make a sarcastic comment, but thwarted by Paul who spoke first.

"You bet that I couldn't and I believe that you owe me now." Yes, Dawn had bet him on it but God, that wasn't what had captured her attention -

He grinned. Widely. In satisfaction and amusement, and... wow.

Dawn couldn't stop staring.

_Wh-What's wrong with my heartbeat? Gah... need to stop walking so much._

She shook herself out of the haze as much as she could and followed behind the other man quietly, vowing to never get lost with Paul again.

She didn't need her pulse acting up again.

As the duo disappeared inside, Gary watched them carefully from the roof.

&.

_No matter how I think this over, this doesn't make sense._

Ursula sighed as she held a mirror to her face, reapplying blush to her cheeks. It was another awful photo shoot day - really, could people not get enough of her? And she couldn't stop thinking of the mystery that night.

Harley had told her he saw Paul running down the halls with _her_ - but that couldn't be right. She had just finished her concert at the festival. In fact, she hadn't seen Paul at all that night.

_So why did he think it was me?_

On top of that, Paul had some mystery girl. Ursula was _dying_ to find out who that was.

She sighed, wondering if she would ever figure it out.

"Ms. Herring, your next dress is ready for you."

She sucked in the sigh and flashed her photographer a brilliant smile instead. "Thank you," she said politely.

She walked off gracefully with the photographer looking after her dreamily. "A gem, isn't she?" he mused to his surrounding workers.

As she walked on to the dressing room, she passed the racks for the old dresses being managed by her stylist. Another stylist walked in, probably just one of the woman's friends?

_Wait. I recognize her._

That stylist was... Misty, she believed? Yes, Misty. Misty was carrying one of outfits for her concert last night.

It didn't take more than a moment for it to click in Ursula's head.

_The photograph Harley showed me - that was the costume the girl was wearing! Misty knows who the mystery girl is._

She had little time, and she knew she had to hurry and get changed into that dress - but to hell with it, she thought, the people liked her well enough. They would forgive her for one little slip up.

"Um, you're Misty, right?" Ursula approached the redhead coolly and smiled casually at her.

"Oh, yeah!" Misty nodded and grinned. "I can't believe you recognize me!"

"Well of course I do!" Ursula replied enthusiastically. "I'm a huge fan of Archangels. I even talk to Paul sometimes!"

"Really?" Misty raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Yeah," Ursula nodded confidently. "You know, I saw the costume you just brought in from the music festival. Paul and the girl escaped safely, right?"

_Oh, gotcha._

It really was a devious trick - Ursula was using the information she knew to make it sound like she knew everything - therefore drawing everything else she needed to know out of Misty. It was perfect.

"Oh, I guess... Paul told you, huh?" Misty seemed shocked, but played it off casually. Paul never acted warmly towards Ursula, but maybe he was trying to cover up that he really _did_ like her.

"Yep." Ursula smiled and nodded blindly.

_Now if you could just tell me!_

"So you're dating?" Misty asked.

"Well..." Ursula thought this one over carefully. "I'm supposed to say 'no.'"

This, unfortunately, cleared Misty's suspicions. "Ah, I see. Well, keep it a secret, okay? It's hard enough trying to be a stylist for the boys, let alone Dan."

Ursula's expression faltered in confusion. "Hm... I see. It's hard, huh?" She was trying her best to milk it out for all she could.

"Yeah!" Misty nodded vigorously. "Her binder, she has to wear loose pants... and I don't know what's gonna happen when she gets her period."

_Oh. My. God._

And that day, realization dawned for the third time.

&.

"I like the change in hairstyle," Dawn complimented Paul as they walked into the mansion, with her holding open the door for him.

Paul entered reluctantly and made sure to tell her, "It wasn't because of what you said."

Paul left to his room and Barry entered the living room. "Yo, Dan."

"Hey," Dawn greeted cheerfully.

_We're supposed to be cool now. We're supposed to be cool. We're supposed - god, fuck this._

"I have to leave," Barry said in a panic, ducking out behind her and running outside to the veranda.

"I still don't know what his issue is," Dawn mused to herself. She shrugged, then decided to grab some yogurt from the fridge.

Outside, Barry hugged his knees while rocking in a corner.

_Okay, I have issues. Established._

He usually only did this in times of need - but now was a time of need. He pulled out a pokeball from his pant pocket and called out his most trusted friend -Roserade.

"I'm not weird, right, Roserade?" He turned to confide in his pokemon, who only sighed empthatically and shook its head at him.

"I mean," Barry continued. "It's just that he's weird. _That's_ why I can't stop thinking about him... or staring at him..."_  
_

Roserade gave him a flat look.

He made a sad face.

"Everything okay out there?" Dawn called from inside.

"Just peachy!" Barry replied, gritting his teeth from the veranda.

"Guys!"

Brock's booming voice was heard, and the rest of the band members rushed to meet with the man and to see what the matter was. Barry, Gary, Dawn, and Paul all arrived at the same time and with the same shock - Brock was standing with none other than - Connie.

"Auntie...?" Dawn tried, almost coughing.

Ash entered the house, his presence not distracting them in the least bit. Walking up to the dazed group, he took stance besides Dawn to lean in and whisper, "I know you were planning on leaving tonight, but... your aunt it staying for the next week and you can't blow your cover."

Dawn nearly gasped in surprise, but suppressed it by biting her lip.

_This is_ _unbelievable.._

Taking a silent leave was Dawn's plan - that way it would just be just written off as a mysterious temporary disappearance. But on top of just ditching the house her aunt had moved into for _her_, she didn't exactly have a choice.

_So much for promising Paul that..._

"Yeah," Brock said. "Sorry for the late notice, but Connie needs a place to stay and since she is Dan's aunt, I hope you guys are willing to adjust."

Barry's eyes widened at the statement. "But there aren't any more guest rooms left..."

Awkward glances were exchanged within the band trio.

"Well," Brock said after a brief contemplation, "She can take Dan's room. Dan, you can bunk with someone else."

_Oh, well that's just fantastic._

Dawn looked up to glance discreetly at the three other guys, none seeming to excited at the prospect of sharing - even Gary. Barry seemed very freaked out by the idea, and Paul had his usual expression but tinged with a little more hate than usual.

"One of you guys?" Brock questioned, oblivious. When none of them answered, he said, "Dan, why don't you just pick?"

"No!" Barry burst out.

An awkward silence commenced at the hostility.

"I mean." Barry cleared his throat and attempted to reclaim his cheery attitude. "It's just that uh, I'm really messy and stuff, Dan w-wouldn't want to share with me."

Dawn sighed internally, but she supposed it was for the best - Barry wasn't too comfortable around her and he also did not know of her...gender. That was the entire problem with this situation. In fact, looking at that, the best, obvious choice would be...

"Gary?" Brock asked.

Gary's arms remained crossed and his eyes lifeless as he answered, "I think there's someone else she prefers to share a room with."

Dawn was confused by this, but then again - it would probably be best if -

"Okay, Paul, it's gonna have to be you," Brock decided. What was with these three? He thought they would be fighting over Dan.

"No." Paul shook his head defiantly. "No way. I won't allow it."

"God dammit, Paul," Ash exclaimed in annoyance. He _knew_ that Paul knew - so what was stopping him?

Brock stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You could always just room with me, Dan! Actually, that would be really cool. We could go play sports together, go to the _bath houses_ together..."

_Oh, god no._

Dawn would never make it out alive if that happened. As a last resort, she put on her best puppy eyes and gave Paul a pleading look. His stoic face did not relent in the least bit as he glanced over at her.

_Pleaaaaseeee?_

"_I will murder you_," Paul's eyes seemed to say.

_Come on? Be human for once!_

She pouted and kept her persistent look. Paul stared back. Dawn stared back.

Paul exhaled sharply and pinched the bridge of his noise. "Forget it, Brock."

"What?" Brock seemed disappointed. "I was looking for some serious bro time with Dan, though!"

"That-that won't be necessary." Paul paused, but Dawn's pressing look forced him to continue. "I will... permit... Dan to stay in my room this once," he managed to get out.

_Well, he could've sounded less like he was letting a fully grown Muk staying in his room, but...whatever! This works._

Her lips split into a lovely grin, one that Paul simply rolled his eyes at. The girl owed him big time.

"Fine," Brock sighed. "Connie, you can go ahead and move into Dan's room after he takes his stuff out."

Connie smiled and bowed respectfully. "Thank you so much for your hospitality. I hope to be as much use to you as possible."

The gang dispersed and Dawn quickly rushed upstairs to get her things. On the way, she bumped into Gary.

"Oh, Gary!" Dawn nodded at him. "I'm really sorry about earlier, you know?"

Which, she really was. Gary had told her during their discussion the real reason he had gone out - he needed support because he was going to go apologize to a girl - he had been keeping something from her, apparently.

"So..." Dawn shrugged. "Do you want to go tomorrow?"

"I don't really feel like it." Gary's expression remained placid as he walked past her to his room.

Dawn was puzzled, but not enough to be concerned to look into it. Right now, she had more important things to worry about - staying in Paul's room. It was a very unsettling thought for some reason and made her pulse act up again.

Stupid pulse.

Trying to calm her heartbeat, she made her way to her room and acquired a box to put all of her belongings in. After she was done, she grabbed a comforter and a pillow and headed to Paul's room.

When she reached her destination, she spotted Ash standing outside of the room with his arms crossed as if he was waiting for something.

"Dawn!" His eyes lit up, and he motioned for her to come closer. "I need to give you something."

"Give me something?" Dawn set her box and bedding down, hands planted on her hips. "What is it?"

Ash opened his mouth before closing it and bringing a hand to his forehead, as if embarrassed. "Look, this wasn't really my idea, it was Misty's! I swear! But... here."

Dawn extended her hand, and Ash gave her a taser.

He awaited her reaction.

"Um... what is this?"

_Oh my god._

Trying to restrain himself from falling over, he reminded himself that this girl _knew nothing_ - and it was up to him to educate her on some basic matters. Such as... these.

"Okay, Paul's really not the type of person, so.. you won't have to worry about it really," Ash said, eyes traveling all around the room as he explained. "But... if he like... tries to..."

"Tries to?" Dawn asked.

Ash stared at her.

_I can't do this._

"Look," Ash said, trying to sound serious. "You know how he always looks emo? If that glare in his eyes disappears and he ever looks at you in a.. soft way, then use it on him!"

_I am so retarded._

Dawn just stood there, doe-eyed and still slightly puzzled. "Well, okay."

"Good." Ash stepped back before patting her shoulder once for reassurance. "Be careful."

_Everyone around me acts so weird sometimes_, Dawn mused. She pushed open the door before dragging her cardboard box in with some difficulty.

Paul stared as she entered, expression morphing into one of distaste at the box.

_I'm already regretting the_ decision.

Dawn already had her speech prepared. She turned around hastily and said, "So, you won't have to worry about me at all. I don't snore and I can use the shower downstairs, so pretend I don't exist."

Paul stared.

_Fair enough_, he decided.

Satisfied, he shrugged off his jacket and pulled the covers back to get into bed. It was only nine p.m. - but he had a funny feeling he would have trouble falling asleep tonight, anyway. As he settled in, he took note of Dawn setting up her bed on the floor - right next to him.

He sat straight up to give her the silent glare of disapproval. "You're really going to sleep there?"

Dawn looked up in the midst of fluffing her pillow. "Oh, yeah, it's no problem. I couldn't take _your_ bed."

"That's not what I meant. Try moving your sheets ten more feet away."

Dawn sighed but obeyed, dragging everything to the opposite side of the room. She could tell this was going to be a long night, and any arguing was only going to make it longer. "Happy?" she called out. "I'm turning out the lights now."

"Don't," Paul snapped. "I can't sleep without the lights on."

"What?" She stared at him incredulously. "But I can't sleep _with_ the lights on..."

Paul ignored her and settled back into his sheets with blissfully ignorant closed eyes. Dawn fell back onto her back, crying comically to herself. This isn't that she had hoped for - but then again, what had she expected from him?

After half an hour of tossing and turning, she sat up to glance at Paul's bed. He seemed sound asleep, and Dawn wondered if it was safe to turn off the lights. She silently stood up and tiptoed across the room to reach the lights by his bed.

She stopped, however, when she caught sight of Paul's face. She stared in shock at how relaxed he was - the perpetual glare gone from his face, leaving peaceful, soft features in its leave.

She stuck her hand in her pockets and brought out the taser - why had Ash wanted her to use it? She didn't think she would have to against Paul.

There really was more to him than it seemed - and Dawn knew it.

_Come to think of it, I saw a lot of Paul's different sides today._

_Earlier today when I found him at the restaurant, the smile I saw when we got home, and right now, this expression of content._

She found herself smiling contentedly at Paul's sleeping face, and she suddenly felt her heartbeat speeding up again.

_Why... why is this happening again?_

Growing panicky at the exhilarating feeling, she brought her hand to her ask Mother Superior for guidance and hoped it didn't mean anything bad.

Unfortunately, while she was performing the gesture, the taser in her hand touched her neck. An electric shock coursed through her and for a second the room was lit up electric blue - and as it disappeared, Dawn collapsed unconscious.

She fell straight into the arms of Paul, where her head fit into the crook of his neck perfectly.

_Slow...down...heart...beat._


End file.
